Review Magazine - Spring 2026

How MU Raised $1.4 Million for Students

One Day Give events break records | PAGE 4

Millersville Made | PAGE 10 Drew Folmar ’01 is Back Home | PAGE 24

Dear Millersville University Alumni and Friends,

As we close this academic year and welcome the arrival of summer, I am reminded of the sense of renewal that defines our campus each spring. The energy across Millersville is palpable and reflected not only in the beauty of our surroundings, but in the collective achievements of our students, alumni, faculty and supporters.

This semester has been particularly significant, highlighted by the successful launch of our inaugural Presidential Gala. As noted in this issue’s feature coverage (pp. 4–7), the gala served as the capstone of an integrated philanthropic effort– bringing together ExtraGive, Marauders Day of Giving and One Day Give into a unified celebration of generosity. Together, these initiatives raised more than $1.4 million in support of scholarships, academic innovation and the student experience. This milestone reflects the extraordinary commitment of our community and signals strong momentum as we look toward our 175th anniversary. The gala also provided an opportunity to honor distinguished alumni and supporters whose leadership and philanthropy continue to shape Millersville’s future. Their examples reinforce the values we hold dear and underscore the transformative power of higher education.

Equally inspiring are the accomplishments of our students. At commencement, we celebrated graduates who now join our global alumni network, carrying forward the Millersville legacy. Their journeys, like that of our student speaker highlighted in this issue, demonstrate the resilience, ambition and purpose that define a Millersville education. We take great pride in their success and look forward to the impact they will make in their professions and communities.

You will also notice the introduction of a new feature, “Millersville Made,” which highlights alumni whose work exemplify the enduring value of their Millersville experience. As illustrated throughout this issue (pp. 10–15), these stories serve as powerful reminders that our graduates are not only prepared for careers–they are prepared to lead, create and contribute meaningfully to society.

Finally, as summer approaches, I encourage you to remain engaged with the University. From youth camps and academic programs to alumni events and community partnerships (pp. 22–23), Millersville continues to serve as a vibrant hub of learning and connection year-round.

Thank you for your continued support and for the many ways you contribute to the strength of our University. Together, we are building a future defined by opportunity, impact and pride.

With warmest regards,

Daniel A. Wubah President, Millersville University

The Review is published by Millersville University, a member of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education.

PRESIDENT

Dr. Daniel A. Wubah

VICE PRESIDENT FOR ADVANCEMENT

Victor Ramos

VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNIVERSITY

RELATIONS & STRATEGIC INITIATIVES

Dr. Victor DeSantis

AVP FOR UNIVERSITY

COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING

Gregory Freedland

MILLERSVILLE REVIEW STAFF

Mary Dolheimer, Executive Editor

Kelsey Madas, Copy Editor

Cheryl Lockley, Designer

John Cheek ’00, Creative Director

Ethan Hulsey, Sports News

Joshua Belice ’08, ’10M, Alumni Director

CONTRIBUTORS

Marissa Farmer ’24, ’26M

Emma Einheber ‘26

Mia Bertoldi ‘26

COUNCIL OF TRUSTEES

Michael G. Warfel ’84 (Chair)

Richard L. Frerichs, Ph.D. ’64, ’69M (Vice Chair)

Rep. Jordan A. Harris ’06 (Secretary)

Thomas J. Baker ’02

Brandon W. Danz, Ph.D. ‘03

Saul W. Fink, Ph.D. ’85

Rick Rodgers

Kathryn R. Ross

Amber M. Sessoms, Ed.D. ’06, ’08M

Holly L. Trego ’98

Bridget Lau ‘26 (Student Member)

Chancellor Christopher M. Fiorentino, Ph.D. (Ex Officio)

President Daniel A. Wubah, Ph.D. (Ex Officio)

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BOARD

Derrick McCutchen ’98 (President)

Dr. Shawn Mark ’97, ’00M (President-Elect)

Matt Olphin ’95 (Past President)

David Shafer ’93 (Treasurer)

Julia Cao ’20 (Secretary)

MILLERSVILLE UNIVERSITY

FOUNDATION BOARD

Dr. Kemah E. P. Washington ’03 (President)

David (D.A.) Abrams ’85 (Vice President)

Elizabeth Luke ’81 (Secretary)

William Stadden ’02 (Treasurer)

Millersville University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action institution.

Record-Breaking $1.4 MILLION Raised Through One Day Give Events

By Mary Dolheimer

MILLERSVILLE UNIVERSITY’S ANNUAL ONE DAY GIVE EVOLVED THIS YEAR INTO A THREE-PART CELEBRATION OF PHILANTHROPY, CULMINATING IN THE INAUGURAL PRESIDENTIAL GALA ON APRIL 17, THE 171ST BIRTHDAY OF THE UNIVERSITY.

Three distinct campaigns united under the banner “One University: 75 Hours of Giving” – Lancaster County Community Foundation’s ExtraGive, benefiting the Ware Center for the Arts; Marauders Day of Giving, supporting Millersville athletics; and One Day Give, focused on academics and scholarships.

Held on Founders’ Day at the Ware Center, the Presidential Gala also launched a countdown to the University’s 175th anniversary in 2030, signaling a new era of collaboration among alumni, businesses and community leaders.

EXTRAGIVE

Sixty-one donors contributed nearly $7,000 to the Ware Center for the Arts during Lancaster County Community Foundation’s ExtraGive on Nov. 21, 2025.

“ExtraGive is not only a day of supporting the cultural arts for today and tomorrow; it is also an evening of fun,” says Robin Zaremski, director of the Ware Center. “Our family-friendly theme this year was ‘BUGS,’ featuring free entertainment by Imani EduTainers African Dance Company, Music For Everyone and FRWRD Dance Company’s performance of ‘LOVEBUG.’ From butterfly crafts to ladybug balloons, ExtraGive donors help ensure that everyone – regardless of physical or economic ability – can engage in the arts and express their creativity.”

ExtraGive raised more than $10 million for the participating 450 organizations.

“These organizations not only help meet basic needs but also provide upstream interventions, innovative programming, and

Presidential GALA

even catalyze joy and connection that builds resilience throughout our community,” says Tracy Cutler, executive vice president of the Lancaster County Community Foundation. “As Lancaster County has shown over time, when we work together, we can do extraordinary things.”

MARAUDERS DAY OF GIVING

A spirit of friendly competition – fitting for an athletics-focused campaign – helped drive a 30% increase in dollars and a 14% increase in donors over last year. The Marauder community came together to raise $826,739.39 on Feb. 26, 2026, during the first stand-alone Marauders Day of Giving.

The Millersville University Alumni Association and Northwestern Mutual Lancaster awarded each leaderboardwinning team an additional $5,000. Women’s cross country/track and field led the women’s teams with just over $80,000 from 150 gifts, while baseball more than doubled that total, raising $167,703.49 from 285 gifts.

“The Marauders Day of Giving was a record-breaking day of philanthropy for the athletics department,” says Kate Corcoran, director of athletics. “With the support received from our alumni, athletics

donors and broader athletics community, we can support our programs through scholarships and enhance the studentathlete experience. Thanks to the work of Chelsey Wirth (former director of athletics advancement) and our coaches, the inaugural Marauders Day of Giving was a huge success. Go, ’Ville!”

“I am deeply grateful to the 1,680 alumni, friends, parents and supporters who demonstrated extraordinary Marauder pride,” says President Daniel Wubah. “These gifts directly support scholarships, facility enhancements and the holistic development of our student-athletes, reinforcing our belief that athletics is an integral part of the Millersville University experience.”

ONE DAY GIVE

Held from 6 p.m. on April 16 to 9 p.m. on April 17, the 13th annual One Day Give shifted to spring to align with the University’s founding date. The expanded 27-hour event, with the theme of “Give to What You Love,” blends longstanding traditions with new initiatives.

Donors could designate their gifts to one of the University’s colleges: the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences; the Lombardo College of Business; the College of Education and Human Services; or the College of Science and Technology. The College of Science and Technology led the academic leaderboard with 54 gifts totaling just under $180,000.

Student clubs also participated in this year’s event in record numbers. Nearly 50 student organizations competed for top honors in dollars collected and number of donors. Club sports, academic and cultural organizations, Greek fraternities and sororities, performance art groups, and service organizations were represented. Club baseball came out on top, with nearly $4,200 raised.

Celebration Stations at four locations on campus provided passersby easy donation

points. Incentives – including the popular custom socks and, new this year, sunglasses for student donors – along with challenges and matching gifts throughout the day helped drive participation.

PRESIDENTIAL GALA

A landmark evening of “firsts,” the Presidential Gala celebrated the achievements of Millersville University’s students, alumni and supporters. Dr. Kemah E. P. Washington ’03, president of the Millersville University Foundation, served as master of ceremonies.

Student speaker Mary-Anna Moraca, a senior sports medicine major from Mullica Hill, N.J., shared her Millersville story with the audience. Moraca is a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Cygnus Society, campus captain for The Hidden Opponent (a nonprofit focused on breaking the stigma of mental health in athletics) and captain of the women’s lacrosse team. She recently scored her 100th career point in an April 4 match against West Chester. Moraca will continue her education through Thomas Jefferson University’s accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program.

“As I prepare to enter a career in healthcare, I carry all of these Millersville experiences with me,” she says. “To me, philanthropy is about paying it forward. It’s about recognizing that none of us succeed entirely on our own; we are lifted by the people who believe in us, support us and invest in our potential.”

A highlight of the gala was the presentation of the inaugural Presidential Gala Awards, a new tradition recognizing leaders who embody integrity, innovation and service.

The Integritas Award for Excellence in Business, which honors ethical leaders who foster community engagement and empower others through entrepreneurship and integrity, was presented to Samuel N. Lombardo ’07 (Doctor of Humane Letters) and Dena M. Lombardo. Latin for integrity, integritas aligns with Millersville’s EPPIIC values of integrity and professionalism as they relate to business.

The Lombardos have provided many educational opportunities for Millersville University students through their years of financial support. Their $5 million contribution – the largest single gift in the history of the University – is transforming the historic Brooks Hall into the Samuel N. and Dena M. Lombardo Hall, home of

the Lombardo College of Business. Along with previous gifts that supported the construction of the Lombardo Welcome Center and student scholarships, faculty development, equipment and internships for the Lombardo College of Business, their giving to Millersville totals $10 million so far.

In recognition of their service and philanthropy, the Lombardos were honored as recipients of Millersville University’s Susan and Gerald Eckert Philanthropic Service Endowment Award in 2024. They are members of the University’s Fiat Lux Society, which recognizes donors who have made transformational gifts to Millersville. An entrepreneur, Samuel is the founder and chairman emeritus of The Benecon Group and ConnectCare3.

The Innovandi Award for Excellence in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics honored Kevin B. Mahoney ’81 and Pamela J. Mahoney ’82 as leaders advancing scientific discovery, technological progress and education. Innovandi – Latin for innovation – aligns with the EPPIIC value of Exploration as it relates to science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Pamela earned a degree in special education from Millersville in 1982, then taught at The Woods School, Phelps School and the Overbrook School for the Blind. Kevin is the chief executive officer of the University of Pennsylvania Health System, an organization with $13 billion in annual revenues and 55,000 employees, with locations across Pennsylvania, proudly including Lancaster General Health, Delaware and New Jersey. He has been with Penn Medicine since 1996.

The Mahoneys have remained engaged with their alma mater, serving as members of the 1855 Society and the President’s Council. In 2020, honoring their time at Millersville, they established the Pamela Kane Mahoney ’82 Special Education Scholarship to support a special education major with a demonstrated interest in elementary schools. Kevin also earned the University’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2021.

Pharus is Latin for beacon and aligns with the EPPIIC value Public Mission as it relates to education and Millersville’s commitment to the future. Sen. Scott F. Martin ’02 and Dr. Amber L. Martin received The Pharus Award for Leadership in Education, which honors exemplary educators and leaders who illuminate pathways to learning, equity and opportunity.

Amber currently serves as Lancaster County Treasurer. In addition, she is a

local business owner whose company develops and manages homeowner and condominium associations throughout Central Pennsylvania.

A lifelong Lancaster County resident, Scott was elected to represent Pennsylvania’s 13th Senatorial District in November 2016 and was re-elected in 2020 and 2024. He currently serves as chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and previously chaired both the Senate Education Committee and the Senate Local Government Committee.

Scott earned a degree in sociology/criminal justice from Millersville. As a studentathlete, he was a three-time First Team PSAC defensive tackle and a two-time All-American. He was inducted into the Millersville University Athletics Hall of Fame and was recently named one of the 150 greatest players and contributors in PSAC history.

Current students played an integral role in the evening’s success. MUTV students assisted with the production of videos that accompanied each award announcement. The Technology and Engineering Education Collegiate Association members produced the one-of-a-kind Millersville clocks that were presented to recipients. In addition, Tell School of Music students provided entertainment at the opening reception and throughout dinner.

President Daniel A. Wubah had the honor of delivering the keynote address at the conclusion of the evening, where he announced that the collective generosity of the Millersville community had reached a new milestone. Between the Extraordinary Give, the Marauders Day of Giving and One Day Give, the total amount donated throughout the three campaigns was $1.44 million.

This historic achievement represents a significant leap from last year’s then-record of $1.14 million, providing critical funding for scholarships, athletic enhancements and academic innovation as the University begins its countdown to its 175th anniversary.

“This extraordinary generosity provides critical support for scholarships, athletics and academic innovation,” says Wubah. “With the support of so many friends, Millersville University will continue to provide a high-quality education that is accessible to all.”

ONE University. 75 hours of GIVING. 175 years of EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE.

CAMPUS NEWS | SPRING 2026

Migrant Education Program: ‘Crown Jewel’ of PA

Millersville’s Migrant Education Program is the “crown jewel” of such programs in Pennsylvania, according to Jose Reyes-Lua, project manager for Region 3. Millersville is the only grantee in higher education and the largest grantee in Pennsylvania, providing services to more than 2,700 school-age students in Lancaster, Lebanon, Berks, Lehigh and Northampton counties. “MEP is a big support system,” says ReyesLua. “It was created to help remedy the disruption in the education of students whose parents travel for agricultural work. It helps these kids get caught up to their peers on learning and standardized tests.”

MEP is a federally funded initiative providing supplemental educational and supportive services to children of migratory agricultural and fishing workers. It aims to help them meet challenging academic standards and graduate with a high school diploma or equivalent. The program addresses challenges unique to migrant students, such as mobility, language barriers and educational disruptions, by offering services like academic assistance, tutoring, health programs and family support.

Reyes-Lua’s knowledge of MEP extends well beyond his time leading Millersville’s program. His father migrated to the United States from Mexico in the 1980s and worked at a nursery and orchards in Biglerville, Pennsylvania, followed by his family in 1993. As a child, Reyes-Lua received migrant program services through Lincoln Intermediate Unit #12 in New Oxford, Pennsylvania. He later worked for that organization as a high schooler. After earning a bachelor’s degree, he returned and served as a student support specialist for five years before being hired as the state recruitment coordinator. He worked for 12 years at the Center for Schools and Communities in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, while he earned his Master of Public Administration degree.

In December 2024, Reyes-Lua began to lead Millersville’s program of five team leaders and 35 full-time support staff. He established three goals: strengthen recruitment; improve graduation rates for enrolled students by partnering with school districts; and grow the program.

Music Student Earns Presser Scholarship

Cesar Rangel Muñoz of Newport, Pennsylvania, a senior dual major in music education and music performance in Millersville’s Tell School of Music, is the recipient of The Presser Foundation’s 202526 Undergraduate Scholar Award. The award is designed to encourage and support the education of a music student who has achieved a high level of musical and academic excellence, demonstrated leadership and service, and contributed to an inclusive community. Muñoz performs with the University Choir, Chorale, Concert Band, Marching Band and Jazz Lab Band and serves as a recruitment ambassador, peer mentor and music tutor for the Tell School. Muñoz received the School’s Glorious Sounds of the Season Scholarship each year since his sophomore year.

“Through his inclusive spirit, artistic openness and respect for others, Cesar embodies empathy, collaboration and cultural awareness,” says Dr. Mícheál Houlahan, chair of the Tell School of Music.

Film Competition Moved to Big Screen at Penn Cinema

By Mia Bertoldi ’26

The media arts production program held its annual 24-hour film competition that challenges students to write, shoot and edit a short film in just one day. Since 2018, the program has hosted Midnight Run under the direction of associate professor James Machado.

This year, four teams competed: Radio Rebels, Not Fast Just Furious, Team Rushmore and TTNW. Each was required to incorporate three specific elements into their films: a thermometer, a “know-it-all” character who turns out to be wrong, and the line, “It hasn’t been this cold in years.”

The films were screened on the big screen at Penn Cinema in Lititz, adding to the excitement of the event, allowing students to see their hard work showcased in a professional cinematic environment. Films were judged on several criteria, including audio quality and camera work.

The top three teams, along with the Viewers’ Choice winner, received Nino’s Pizza gift cards. First place and Viewers’ Choice each earned $60, while second and third place received $40. Not Fast Just Furious – comprised of students Cody Good, Elizabeth Wicht, Gabe Wolford, Dylan Dollak, Aaron Chun, and Xander Eisenhour – claimed first place.

Student Wellness Focus:

RED FOLDER INITIATIVE TO HELP STUDENTS IN DISTRESS

By Marissa

Farmer '24, '26M

The Center for Counseling and Human Development launched its Red Folder Project initiative that guides recognizing, responding to and referring students to resources when they are in distress.

Millersville is the first member of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education to distribute a physical version of the Red Folder and its resources.

“We felt that faculty, administrators and staff would be better served with an easy-to-access hard copy,” says Dr. Lesley Huff, assistant professor with Millersville’s Counseling Center. “Knowledge is power, and the Red Folder can increase one’s sense of competence and confidence in recognizing an issue with a student.”

The Red Folder helps faculty, administrators

and staff recognize high-distress situations that require contacting crisis resources.

“We believe that student mental health is a responsibility that is shared by the entire University community,” says Dr. Joseph Lynch, director of Millersville’s Counseling Center. “MU faculty, administrators and staff are in a unique position to demonstrate care and compassion for our students.”

VENDING MACHINE PROVIDES ACCESS TO HEALTH PRODUCTS

By Emma Einheber ’26

Millersville has installed a new wellness vending machine in the Student Memorial Center, designed to provide students with convenient and affordable access to health and wellness products.

The initiative was developed through the President’s Leadership Institute, a 10-month professional development program led by President Daniel Wubah. The initiative is led by Lauren Blevins, director of health services, and Susan Moyer, interim chair and associate professor in the Wehrheim School of Nursing.

“The machine’s main purpose is to provide students with convenient access to costeffective reproductive and healthcare products, especially those that may be needed discreetly, urgently or after-hours,” shares Blevins.

The vending machine offers over-thecounter medications, personal care items and free products including Narcan, pregnancy tests and tampons.

The project is co-sponsored by Health Services, Wehrheim School of Nursing, Center for Health Education and Promotion, and the Pennsylvania State Employee Credit Union. Funding was provided by the Jewish Healthcare Foundation as part of its College and University Health Vending grant program. Each item is connected to a QR code that directs students to support services

ranging from on-campus departments to community-based organizations such as the YWCA and Domestic Violence Services.

“Our belief is that access and affordability matter,” shares Blevins.

The wellness vending machine reflects Millersville’s commitment to supporting student health by increasing access to resources, encouraging self-care and fostering a more inclusive and supportive campus.

New Faces at the Watershed Education Training Institute

By Marissa Farmer ’24, ’26M

Millersville’s

Watershed

Education Training Institute named Dr. Justin Mando, chair of the Department of English, as co-director. Mando specializes in writing studies, especially in environmental advocacy writing. His research investigates public involvement in environmental controversies and the role that rhetoric plays in shaping relationships within our natural world and our human communities.

Sophomore Collin Brinser has been named as the recipient of the Institute's Environmental Justice Fellowship. The fellowship aims to expand student involvement in watershed education and applied aspects of environmental management to preserve waterways.

“I hope to help in making and perfecting the science curriculum for elementary and middle school levels,” says Brinser. “We only have one planet, and we need to take care of it. The best way to do so is to get young thinkers involved and passionate about their environment.”

Honoring PA River of the Year

The Conestoga River has been named the 2026 Pennsylvania River of the Year by the Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers.

A 61-mile tributary of the Susquehanna River flowing through Lancaster County, the Conestoga was selected for this honor in recognition of the extensive conservation and restoration efforts underway, the strong community partnerships working to improve water quality, and its significance as both an ecological corridor and recreational asset for South Central Pennsylvania.

“We are excited to spend the year celebrating the beauty and majesty of this wonderful waterway,” says Department of Conservation of National Resources Secretary Cindy Dunn. “This oncepolluted river is an example of what can happen when we prioritize clean, healthy waterways. Its transformation has made the Conestoga a hub for outdoor recreation, providing a boost to the region and demonstrating that rivers build thriving communities.”

The Conestoga River Club nominated the Conestoga River and is receiving a $15,000 Leadership Grant to help fund a slate of year-long activities. The Club will be joined by Millersville University and the Borough of Millersville as they plan events and activities to honor the recognition.

“This recognition presents a wonderful opportunity for Millersville University to celebrate this natural asset that connects our campus to the broader region while advancing our educational and stewardship missions,” says Dr. Victor DeSantis, vice president of university relations and strategic initiatives. “Having the PA River of the Year in our backyard is a unique opportunity.”

Made in Millersville

By Emma Einheber '26

The Made in Millersville Conference was held on April 14 in the Student Memorial Center. The conference and companion Made in Millersville Journal provide students across all disciplines the opportunity to share their research, innovation, creative works, and other scholarship and experiences with the community through posters, talks, performances, demonstrations and exhibits.

The 2026 event was a full house with more than 400 presenters and co-presenters from 36 different majors, supported by 83 mentors across 300 presentations. Presenters were also able to publish their work in the Made in Millersville Journal, which is edited and compiled by a student editorial board led by faculty coordinators of the Writing Center.

The theme of the first Presidential Gala was Millersville Made, and the profiles on the next few pages speak to that. Forever influenced by their experience at Millersville University, these alumni are making a statement, making a difference, making something beautiful or making a legacy. Are you Millersville Made? If so, drop us a note at communications@millersville.edu so we can share your story.

G. Robert Wagner ’75 Honors Lancaster Through ART

By Emma Einheber ’26

CELEBRATIONS ARE IN ORDER! AS THE UNITED STATES PREPARES TO CELEBRATE ITS 250TH ANNIVERSARY, MILLERSVILLE UNIVERSITY ALUMNUS G. ROBERT WAGNER ’75 IS LEAVING HIS ARTISTIC MARK ON HISTORY. Wagner was selected to design and create original artwork for one of the over 100 commemorative bells for Bells Across PA, a statewide public art initiative sponsored by America250PA. The initiative grants professional artists of any medium the opportunity to create a piece representative of their home county as part of the celebration.

“I found out about the opportunity to showcase my artwork from reading about the upcoming America’s 250th Anniversary on the Discover Lancaster website,” Wagner explains. “I created a mock-up of the bell with my artwork, submitted it to the Bells Across PA design committee and was selected.”

For Wagner, a Lancaster native, the opportunity is a full-circle experience. After earning his bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Millersville, Wagner began his artistic career with the Lancaster County Planning Commission in 1979, the year that marked Lancaster County’s 250th anniversary celebration. He was chosen to illustrate the Lancaster County Seal for

official county use, which was used for a special 250th anniversary proclamation. The seal he created more than four decades ago is still used today and is designed front and center on the bell.

“Over the years, I have created a lot of artwork focused on Lancaster County,” Wagner says. “As a Lancaster native, I am very proud of our county and found a niche showcasing Lancaster’s heritage.”

The artwork featured on the bell blends Lancaster’s history and charm, showcasing architecture, nature and scenes of daily life. All the bells for Bells Across PA aim to illustrate both local heritage and America’s broader story.

Among the featured imagery are rolling Amish farmland, the historic Thaddeus Stevens House, Historic Rock Ford, Amish village scenes, the Visitors Center and Central Market, and a covered bridge with cyclists, a nod to the annual popular Covered Bridge Metric Century Ride to which Wagner has contributed art.

The bell is displayed at the Edward Hand Mansion at Historic Rock Ford, where visitors can experience both the site’s history and Wagner’s work.

“It is a privilege and honor to be part of this event that brings all of us together to celebrate America,” Wagner says. “It gives us a chance to take time to smile at each other, shake hands and come together.”

Wagner, a proud Vietnam War-era veteran, also teaches art classes with WriteFace. According to the organization’s website, “WriteFace helps veterans generate a healthier spirit within themselves, for their families, at work, and in our communities through guided writing exercises and interaction with instructors and fellow participants.” More information is available at writeface.org

“I have come to think more about my art and how it can relate to others in a class. The healing and help it provides is a wonderful thing to be part of,” shares Wagner.

View more of Wagner’s work at grobertwagner.com

NEW Lancaster MAYOR Is a MARAUDER

“I wasn’t always drawn to politics, but I was drawn to leadership,” shares

JAIME ARROYO, a 2010 graduate of Millersville University who was sworn in as Lancaster’s 44th – and first Latino – mayor in early January 2026. He is also the first Marauder to hold the office.

The former CEO of ASSETS Lancaster, a nonprofit organization that supports entrepreneurs through business training, microloans, mentorship and resources, got his start in the world of banking.

As a first-generation college student and business administration major, his early career goals were to “wear a suit, have an office and make money.” His mother was a bank teller, and he followed in her footsteps, earning a $1,500 scholarship from Fulton Bank as a high schooler along with a job. As he balanced college classes, work, moving up the ranks to become a mortgage loan officer, he reconsidered his long-term career goals. “I was successful but unsatisfied. I started to wonder what I could do that would have a positive impact on my community,” notes Arroyo. A friend connected him with a volunteer position at ASSETS, where he

By Kelsey Madas

taught classes and became more involved. Jess King, who ran ASSETS at the time, noticed his hard work. “I let her know that I wanted to work at ASSETS. The nature of the work was deeply meaningful to me. They created a position for me, and I took it, even though it meant a pretty significant pay cut.”

As Arroyo continued to work under the mentorship of King, he searched for more ways to better his community. King told him, “The work we do has an impact, but if you really want to make a change, you need to look at policy.” Eventually, with the encouragement of others, he successfully ran for a seat on the Lancaster City Council

in 2019 and began his work in 2020. Echoing King’s sentiments, Arroyo says, “To make a change, you have to change policy for the good of everyone.” He brought that mindset to the council during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the mayor’s website, Arroyo advanced efforts like the COVID-19 Small Business Relief Fund and updates to housing laws related to lead poisoning and rental property standards as the chair of City Council’s Economic Development Committee. He also played a major role in directing $15 million from the American Rescue Plan Act to support affordable housing and community facilities. When the former mayor announced she would not run again, people came to Arroyo, encouraging him to run. In the end, the people of Lancaster elected Arroyo as their new mayor. Arroyo also plans to focus on addressing the housing crisis through rezoning and making the city safer. “Part of the reason my family settled here when we moved from Puerto Rico is because the community was welcoming to them. We want everyone to feel safe here.”

KNITTING a New Future

AFTER MORE THAN THREE DECADES OF INSPIRING STUDENTS AT MILLERSVILLE UNIVERSITY, RETIRED ART AND DESIGN PROFESSOR JERI ROBINSON-LAWRENCE IS FOCUSING HER ARTISTIC EFFORTS ELSEWHERE: A FIBER ARTS BUSINESS SHE STARTED 16 YEARS AGO.

Robinson-Lawrence began teaching at Millersville in 1992. Drawn to the reputation of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education as a teaching-focused system, she knew Millersville aligned with her values. “I wanted to work with students and help young people find their passion in art and design,” she says. “Students always come first.”

Beyond technical skills, Robinson-Lawrence hoped her students “gained confidence and a deeper appreciation for diversity. We all have something special and unique to offer

By Emma Einheber ’26

the world,” she says. “I hope my students recognize the importance of diversity and that they live in a beautiful world where we can all learn from each other.”

“Having Jeri as a professor and advisor positively impacted me in many ways,” says interactive and graphic design major Megan Bixler. “She provided me with honest feedback and extra-helpful research on the angles of my design projects. Jeri is known for her interest and investment in many aspects of students’ lives, and I experienced that.”

In addition to her academic career, Robinson-Lawrence also built a successful fiber arts business with her daughter called Flying Fibers, located in Wrightsville, Pennsylvania. She found her passion for the art form while seeking a hands-on approach to creating. “I felt handcuffed by the computer,” she says. “I needed to feel

something other than plastic.”

This search led her to knitting. “The available yarn colors stifled my creativity,” she explains. “I began dying my own yarn, spinning it and

ultimately raising sheep to have access to the kind of wool I wanted.”

Today, Flying Fibers is an agritourism business alongside a traditional retail yarn and wool shop. It is also home to rare-breed North American Wensleydale sheep, geese, chickens and a lavender farm. Additionally, the shop sells specialty yarns and fibers from England and North America.

Her daughter Irina Lawrence Mathias ’18, who studied business administration, also plays a role in the business. “She took over management upon graduating from high school and stepped into a larger role after graduating from MU,” Robinson-Lawrence shares. Together, the pair host many local community events, acting as a gathering space for the regional fiber arts community.

Whether in the studio or the classroom, Robinson-Lawrence is an advocate of art and design’s ability to foster community. “I don’t think that we have culture or community without art and design. They are a visual method of communication that can be understood by young and old alike,” she shares. “They highlight and celebrate our differences, and they tell the story of history as a visual narrative,” she adds.

To current and future art and design students, Robinson-Lawrence offers this advice: “Try things. Experiment. If you stay in a narrow lane, we might lose sight of the bigger picture.” To learn more, visit flyingfibers.com

For Sale: ‘Birds of Paradise’

TOM KLOSS ’65 and Carol Kloss’s personal gallery space in their home is full of items that tell the story of their lives together.

Every nook and cranny is filled with souvenirs from their many trips, as well as Tom’s collection of model cars, pottery he created, his sculpture collection, photos and awards; and Carol’s hanging paintings, many designed with a nod to squares.

It is “all of the things that he has gathered,” Carol says of her husband. “This collection shows how he grew as an artist over the years and how his work grew from small birds to big animals, even furniture.”

The Klosses are downsizing to a retirement community and have nowhere to store the large collection housed in their downstairs gallery. They have been reaching out to other artists and organizations to find a place for the “Birds of Paradise” collection –brightly colored wood and metal sculptures that Tom has been creating since 1980.

“The painting is exceptional,” says Carol. “Nobody else does anything like this.”

Tom grew up in Lancaster. As graduation from McCaskey High School loomed, he admits he “had no idea what to do my senior

By Mary Dolheimer

year. I hung out with the ‘weirdo types’ who were taking the SATs for $5, so I took them, too, because I liked a bargain.”

It was the first of several tests for Tom. He must have done well, he says, because his mom announced, “You’re going to college.” So, he enrolled at Millersville as a commuting elementary education major with an arts and crafts minor.

Because college was “unexpected” and he was ill-prepared as the

first member of his family to enroll, Tom struggled academically. “I did not maintain the minimum GPA required to stay, so I sat out for several semesters. Music and math courses gave me trouble, and that’s why it took me six years to graduate.”

As a student, Tom also traveled to Indiana State College, now Indiana University of Pennsylvania, for a course in jewelry. There, he met Carol, who was studying art education. They went on their first date on July 4, 1963, and were married on June 6, 1964. The newlyweds settled in Lancaster to be close to Tom’s parents. “We were very

transitioning to real estate for a decade. Carol was an itinerant art teacher for the School District of Lancaster for nearly 30 years.

In 1967, the Klosses opened a craft shop in Paradise Township, where they and other local artists displayed and sold their work until the shop was destroyed by flooding. Tom transitioned to the custom-built studio in their home in Paradise and started working on his “Birds of Paradise” collection in 1980. His first show with the whimsical sculptures was in 1983.

From there, the couple spent decades engaged in the world of art. They took 69 “major” trips from 1990 to 2020. They took Tom’s art to American Craft Council

work was included in many collections and won numerous awards abroad. They rented apartments in locations that included London, Paris, Switzerland and Bermuda.

“We have had very interesting lives,” Carol says.

In 2015, Tom and Carol auctioned off much of their work and later moved to their current home in West Lampeter Township. Tom spent nearly two decades volunteering for the Lancaster County Office of Aging, Meals on Wheels and Lancaster General Hospital. He and Carol also supported Millersville University by establishing the Thomas A. Kloss ’65 and Carol M. Kloss Scholarship in 2022.

Now, they wait for the completion of their new home in a nearby retirement community, which will lead to downsizing from their threestory home to a single-story home. That means finding a place for the collection they have amassed.

Everything in their private gallery is for sale, according to

“Millersville – in particular, Dr. Dominick Fanani and the art department – was instrumental in my becoming the wellknown artist I became,” says Tom. “Dr. Fanani, who established the jewelry program, helped me develop the distinctive style and the personality that my sculptures have shown.”

If you are interested in purchasing Tom Kloss’s artwork or want to learn more, contact him at tomkloss59@gmail.com.

Alum Zach Krause ’11 Grows Jimmy Juice

By Marissa Farmer ’24, ’26M

COMBINING A MILLERSVILLE UNIVERSITY DEGREE WITH HIS PASSION FOR DISTILLATION, ZACH KRAUSE ’11, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF JIMMY JUICE, IS REDEFINING THE LOCAL SPIRITS SCENE.

Krause had a career-altering opportunity “fall into his lap” when Joe Devoy and wife Dana Paparo, the owners of Sickman’s Mill in Conestoga, decided to establish Jimmy Juice with him.

The idea for the carbonated cocktail in a can was generated over a pint of beer at Tellus 360, an Irish pub in Lancaster. Jimmy Juice has grown increasingly popular, leading to a new state-of-the-art production facility in Millersville.

The three-year-old business has already expanded beyond Pennsylvania to neighboring states, and there are more than 700 reselling locations serving Jimmy Juice’s carbonated canned cocktails.

After graduating from Millersville, Krause went straight into international engineering for a German company, working as a managing director. Using the skills he acquired while studying for his bachelor’s degree in business administration and international business, Krause conducted business all over the world, helping to assemble production plans and construct processing and recycling plants in the pharmaceutical, petrochemical, mineral and agricultural

industries. “It was an incredible experience that really changed my entire life. It was unimaginable how much I learned,” he adds.

After 10 years of working with some of the largest companies in the world, Krause decided to pursue an obsession that surfaced during his college days at Millersville – beverage

“Between making beverages, wine, beer, ciders, mead, kombuchas

and spirits, and the engineering experience I gained, it just all came together,” says Krause. “Leaving international engineering was a tough decision, but it was the right time. What I learned at Millersville was just as invaluable, and I’m so grateful that I used my degree to go into that field and had a great experience, which allowed me to follow my passion.”

As Jimmy Juice’s managing director, Krause directs distillery design, licensing, recipe development, sales, distribution, logistics, production, beverage manufacturing and product packaging.

“We love Millersville over here at Jimmy Juice,” says Krause. The company has hired a number of recent alumni, including Keikoa Miller ’25, marketing and design coordinator at Jimmy Juice. Miller’s duties include collecting and

tracking marketing projects, all while curating digital designs for the company. “My internship as a videography and graphic design intern at Millersville helped in preparing me for my current role,” says Miller, who worked in University Communications and Marketing in 2025. “I’ve taken a lot of influence in designing the structure of Jimmy Juice’s project management from MU."

“I work very closely with Zach,” says Miller. “He’s a big part of everybody’s roles at Jimmy Juice, which keeps him super busy. His leadership has influenced not only my work but also my growth as a recent college graduate. He’s helped guide me out of my comfort zone and pushed me to continually expand my role at Jimmy Juice.”

Setting the Stage with Nicole Guy ’16

By Mary Dolheimer

AS THE GRAPHICS LEAD AT ATOMIC DESIGN, A COMPANY THAT DESIGNS AND BUILDS IMMERSIVE LIVE EVENT ENVIRONMENTS, NICOLE GUY ’16 HAS HAD A HAND IN SOME PRETTY COOL EVENTS: WRESTLEMANIA, IHEARTRADIO MUSIC FESTIVALS, SUPER BOWL HALFTIME SHOWS, NIKE POP-UP RETAIL EXPERIENCES AND TAYLOR SWIFT’S THE ERAS TOUR, TO NAME A FEW.

Atomic Design is part of the Rock Lititz production community located in Lititz, Pennsylvania, and specializes in live event production, scenic and event design, custom fabrication and modular systems. Atomic literally “sets the stage for largescale events,” according to Guy.

“Rock Lititz is the hub where artists come and can find all the services they need for live events,” she says. “A lot of our work at Atomic is manufacturing big custom sets from start to finish.”

Guy’s team of three is responsible for graphic design, printing and finishing. “It’s

a mixed bag,” she says. “The three of us really do a lot.” They work alongside their colleagues in Atomic’s custom fabrication shop, which includes “everything you can think of when it comes to set design –wood, metal, power, soft goods, CNC and paint”– to create sets that thousands, if not millions, view.

“Taylor Swift was a really cool one, but we did a small, small part of it,” Guy says. “We fabricated the pianos that were on stage, and the wood shop constructed them, paint

did their magic, and we went back in and did some small graphics to finish it.”

For Super Bowl LVI, which featured a halftime show that included Kendrick Lamar and Dr. Dre, Guy and two other designers stitched together over 2,000 photos of Compton, California, which covered the field around the stage where the musicians performed. “We were (a big) part of that, creating the art, photoshopping, setting up the printer files and working with an outside vendor,” she says.

Road to WrestleMania’s sign, which is comprised of large polycarbonate pieces, is custom printed, so Guy and her team “got really involved in that, setting up art files, color and light testing, and printing. It’s a staple we do every year and a chance to show off what the graphics team can do.”

Guy has been with Atomic for nearly five years. She joined the company after several positions in the printing industry, where she learned both pre- and postproduction skills. She also had great hands-on experience as a Millersville student, in and outside of class.

“I started out as an early childhood education major,” Guy says. “I got three years into the curriculum and hit a

roadblock of scheduling required courses and tests. That’s when I took some graphics courses and ultimately made the switch to graphics.”

She transitioned to applied engineering technology management with a graphics communication concentration. “It’s a big, overarching field, and we learned enough about all of the parts of it to be dangerous,” Guy jokes, “which is actually very similar to my experience at Atomic.”

Outside the classroom, she was “super busy” with many campus jobs: various positions in her sorority, an executive board position with Student Senate

and paid positions doing graphics for Dining Services, Alumni Engagement and the Center for Student Involvement and Leadership. “Those paid positions were where I really gained great real-life experience,” she says.

She fondly recalls classes with Dr. Mark Snyder, who was the head of the applied engineering management program and her academic advisor. “I remember clear as day things that he said in class. I learned so much from him that I use in my job every day.”

Guy believes she did the most she could with her time at Millersville. She thinks

similarly about her current position at Atomic. “After five years, I still think there’s a lot for me to do in graphics at Atomic. I want to grow what we’re doing, maybe work more on the client-facing side in the future.”

“Live events are really cool, despite the crazy hours we work to meet last-minute demands,” she says. “I’m still exploring more areas of this company. Atomic is a busy company with a lot of moving parts. You have to be super flexible and know that the industry demands certain things. And then you work on finding a way to balance all that.”

A Lifelong Lancaster Learner

As a junior in high school in the School District of Lancaster, a young Jassinya Alvarado-Padilla ’14 met an associate professor in Millersville University’s Educational Foundations department at a cafeteria tabling event.

Dr. Miriam Marguerita Gomez Witmer was there recruiting mentees for the Color of Teaching, an organization she leads that supports high school and college students of color considering careers in education through mentorship. “In my schooling journey, I had limited teachers who looked and sounded like me,” shares Alvarado-Padilla. “Dr. Witmer offered to be my mentor.”

For Alvarado-Padilla and many others, school was what she described as a “. . . safe haven. I loved school. It was a consistent place, a place where I could be free,” she explains. “Life wasn’t always easy at home. I had great parents that worked a lot. Sometimes when I came home from school, the electricity and water weren’t on, and we always figured it out, but it was unpredictable. But when I got to school, I forgot about the ‘adult’ worries I had.” With support from that mentorship program and a scholarship from the Lancaster Partnership Program, Alvarado-Padilla went on to attend Millersville University, majoring in early childhood education. Her first full-time gig was teaching high school English at a charter school in Reading, Pennsylvania, which has a high population

By Kelsey Madas

of non-English-speaking students who migrated to the U.S. during Hurricane Maria. Fast-forward to today, Alvarado-Padilla is now back at Millersville as a student in the University’s Doctor of Education in educational leadership, a joint program with Shippensburg University, and on the precipice of becoming a two-time graduate of Millersville. “As a first-generation student, I never imagined I would get my doctorate,” explains Alvarado-Padilla. “The first doctoral graduation I attended was Dr. Witmer’s, and it was impactful to me. I saw that she did it her own way, and I knew I could, too. In many ways, the experiences I was exposed to, as a result to saying yes to mentorship, saved my life and changed the trajectory of my life.” In a full-circle moment, Witmer is now serving as a

member of Alvarado-Padilla’s doctoral committee.

The investment that Witmer made in Alvarado’s personal and professional life has translated into her work as an educator. Outside of her doctoral work, she serves as the School District of Lancaster’s Director of Educational Access and Opportunity, having risen through the ranks at the district since 2019. She also serves on multiple nonprofit boards and recently joined Governor Shapiro’s Commission on Latino Affairs as a Lancaster County Commissioner.

She brings with her 11 years of experience as a teacher, leader and administrator in education now to ensure, as her motto says, “that kids feel seen, heard and valued as their authentic selves.” Alvarado-Padilla says that as someone who came from a stressful home life, “I want to be able to pass on the sense of peace in school that I had as a child. I want students to feel safe, free and able to be their authentic self at school. The complexities and challenges we have to overcome as adults in leadership to create those systems are totally worth it.”

Her message and advice for all alumni, educators, mentors and community members is this: “Be great with purpose, trust your ‘dopeness’ and remember our future generation is watching and relying on us to make the world a better place so they, too, can thrive and live up to their highest potential.”

A Message from the Director of Alumni Engagement

Dear Millersville alumni,

As another academic year comes to a close, we are grateful for the many ways alumni continue to show up for Millersville, through participation, mentorship, celebration and pride in the ’Ville community. Alumni engagement today looks different than it did even a few years ago, but the heart of it remains the same: meaningful connection across generations to the place we all know and love, Millersville.

This spring, we welcomed more than 1,000 new graduates into the alumni family and celebrated shared moments that brought together students, alumni, faculty and campus partners. From commencements and candle lightings to regional gatherings and campus traditions, these

experiences reflect Millersville’s EPPIIC values and our commitment to belonging.

We invite alumni to stay connected in ways that fit their lives: by attending events, supporting students, sharing stories or simply staying engaged with the University’s progress. Together, we continue to strengthen the Millersville community and ensure that today’s students become tomorrow’s alumni.

Thank you for being part of the ’Ville, yesterday, today and always.

Sincerely,

Joshua R. Belice ’08, ’10M Director of Alumni Engagement

Welcome from the President of the MU

Alumni Association Board of Directors

Dear fellow Marauders, Serving as president of the Millersville University Alumni Association is both an honor and a responsibility I take seriously. Our alumni community is diverse, multi - generational, and deeply connected by a shared Millersville experience, and that connection is our greatest strength.

The alumni association exists to

support Millersville University and to foster meaningful opportunities for alumni to stay connected to one another and to the ’Ville. Over the past year, the board has focused on strengthening collaboration with University partners, stewarding alumni resources responsibly and undertaking a strategic planning process. Looking ahead, we remain committed to listening, learning and evolving to meet alumni where they are. Whether through engagement opportunities, philanthropy, advocacy or shared experiences, every alum plays a role in

shaping Millersville’s future.

This association belongs to all of us. Your involvement, in whatever form it takes, helps ensure that Millersville remains a place of opportunity, pride and connection for generations to come. Thank you for your continued support and for carrying the Marauder spirit forward.

In service and spirit,

Derrick McCutchen

’98 President, Millersville University Alumni Association

ATTENTION, Recent Graduates

Join fellow young alumni for an evening at Sickman’s Mill featuring the story behind Jimmy Juice’s growth to 700+ locations. Enjoy drink tickets, local craft cocktails and the opportunity to connect with other young professionals in a relaxed, outdoor setting.

Before the main event, attendees are invited to join an optional behind -the -scenes tour of Jimmy Juice’s Millersville production facility from 4 to 5 p.m. Located just a stone’s throw from Jack’s, this tour offers a unique look at how a Millersville - connected idea has grown into a nationally recognized brand. It’s a great opportunity to see entrepreneurship in action and connect the dots between campus, community, and career paths. millersville.edu/alumni/events/gold JOIN US for ‘Ville at the Mill! SICKMAN’S MILL

Wednesday, May 27 | 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. 671 Sandhill Road | Pequea, PA

To register and learn more – visit millersville.edu/alumni or call the Office of Alumni Engagement at 717-871-7551. We hope to see you there!

Inaugural Family EGG HUNT Is a Hit

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE 66 CHILDREN TO FIND NEARLY

1,500 EASTER EGGS? AT MILLERSVILLE UNIVERSITY’S INAUGURAL FAMILY EGG HUNT, IT ONLY TOOK SIX MINUTES!

Despite the 40-degree temperatures, 43 families brought their children to participate in the March 28 event at Duncan Alumni House. The morning was comprised of two egg hunts – one for children ages 0-3 and another for those ages 4-7 – photos with Skully and other hands-on activities. The Lancaster Public Library’s On-TheGo Library Van was on site, giving families the opportunity to register for a library card. Children also received take-home tote bags and coloring activities.

“As a parent of a two-year-old, I’m always looking for simple, fun weekend activities for our family,” says Director of Alumni

Engagement Joshua Belice ’08, ’10M. “At some point, I thought, ‘Why not create one ourselves?’ If our family would enjoy something like this, I figured many of our alumni and friends would, too. It felt like a good way to bring families back to campus in a fun way.”

The Family Egg Hunt reflects the culture and values of both the Alumni Office and the University as a whole. “At its core, this event is about connection,” says Belice. “Millersville has always cared about serving the broader community, and this is one small but meaningful way to open our campus to families. For the Alumni Office, it reflects our goal of building lifelong relationships, not just with alumni, but with their families as well, and creating traditions that feel welcoming and inclusive.”

Joint Ed.D. ADDS

Joint Superintendent Letter of Eligibility

Building on the success of the Millersville/Shippensburg Ed.D., the only joint doctoral program in Pennsylvania, the two universities are increasing their collaboration by offering a joint superintendent’s licensure program that begins in Fall 2026.

• Brings together the strengths/power of both universities: facilities, faculty and resources

• Current superintendents and central office school administrators teach classes alongside faculty, providing students with both academic and on-the-ground perspectives

• Students may earn LOE or continue to complete Ed.D.

• Format

100% online

Finish in 1 year

6 courses, 3 credits each 2 classes offered in each of the spring/summer/fall sessions

Hands-on internship hours millersville.edu/programs/educational-leadershipgraduate-certificate.php

FOR MORE INFORMATION on the Letter of Eligibility program or the Ed.D. program contact:

Dr. Ann Gaudino, Program Director ann.gaudino@millersville.edu

Establish an ENDURING LEGACY

Millersville University supporters have various meaningful ways to leave a lasting impact.

Giving through an IRA, a bequest in your will or a donor-advised fund allows you to shape the future of education while aligning with your financial goals. Qualified Charitable Distributions from IRAs are a tax-smart way for individuals aged 70½ or older to support Millersville directly from their retirement accounts.

Including the University in your will or trust ensures your values live on through scholarships, academic programs or campus initiatives. Donor-advised funds also offer flexibility, allowing you to recommend grants that support the University’s mission.

To learn more about gift and estate planning that benefits MU students, visit millersville.giftlegacy.com.

If you have committed to support Millersville University in your estate plans, please let us know to ensure your gift will benefit the University according to your requests. Consult with your advisors about the best choice for your unique circumstances.

Become a ’Ville VisionaryMemberSociety

The ’Ville Visionary Society is Millersville University’s giving society recognizing individuals who have made gifts or commitments of $1,000 or more each fiscal year. Becoming a member of the ’Ville Visionary Society reflects the vision of donors whose generosity makes a meaningful impact on students’ lives with their visionary support.

To learn more about the ’Ville Visionary Society and giving society opportunities, please visit millersville.edu/giftclubs, or contact the Office of Development at giving@millersville.edu or 717-871-7520.

Thank you for generously supporting Millersville University students!

OCTOBER

16 – 17, 2026

Get ready for an unforgettable Homecoming Weekend filled with cherished traditions and exciting events for all Marauders to enjoy! It’s a special time to return to the ’Ville, reconnect with friends, reminisce and create new memories together.

Join us for a weekend of fun-filled events designed for alumni, friends and family of all ages to celebrate with Marauder pride!

VISIT millersville.edu/homecoming for a full list of events and the latest updates.

HOMECOMING 2026 WEEKEND HIGHLIGHTS

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17

Millersville Parade

’Ville Visionary Society Porch Party

’Ville Block Party

Maker’s Market

Homecoming Football Game and Hospitality Area

Contact the Millersville University Office of Alumni Engagement for more information.

717-871-7551 | alumni@millersville.edu

Alumni EVENTS

The Office of Alumni Engagement invites all ‘Ville alumni, from across the decades to recent graduates, to participate in special alumni events throughout the year. We look forward to connecting with you at our upcoming events!

SUMMER FUN SERIES

Thursdays, June - July 6 – 7 p.m.

Join us this summer on the Alumni House lawn for a relaxed, family-friendly Thursday evening series featuring children’s activities, storytime, yard games, and time to connect with fellow alumni, families, and community members.

NEW STUDENT CANDLE LIGHTING

Friday, August 21 7:30 – 9 p.m.

Join us for this beautiful ceremony at the campus pond that is a highlight of the EPPIIC Weekend celebration for incoming students, as we continue a cherished tradition of uniting new students and alumni.

HOMECOMING WEEKEND

Friday, October 16 - Saturday, October 17

Celebrate an exciting weekend filled with events and festivities as ’Ville alumni return to campus.

SALUTE TO SERVICE: VETERANS APPRECIATION LUNCH

Thursday, November 12 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

In collaboration with the Office of Alumni Engagement and the Veterans Resource Center on campus, this special luncheon is free and open to all active and retired military members of the University community.

GLORIOUS HOLIDAYS AT THE ’VILLE

Saturday, December 5 3 – 7 p.m.

Millersville University transforms into a winter wonderland full of festive sights, sounds, and tastes to celebrate the season with a holiday maker’s market, photos with Santa and more, in connection with the popular Glorious Sounds of the Season concert.

WREATH LAYING CEREMONY

Sunday, December 13 | 1 p.m.

This meaningful ceremony, coordinated in partnership with Wreaths Across America, honors the sacrifices of Millersville’s veterans and fallen soldiers by placing a wreath at the Civil War Monument on campus.

FOR QUESTIONS, please contact us at alumni@millersville.edu or call 717-871-7551. VISIT millersville.edu/alumni for the latest events and information.

Millersville UniversityKEEPSAKE

Bring the ’Ville into your home with this year’s Millersville University holiday keepsake, created in recognition of America’s 250th anniversary. The intricately designed brass keepsake highlights the University’s Civil War monument and is inspired by the annual wreath - laying ceremony led by Millersville cadets to honor fallen Marauders who served our nation. Together, the ornament and the photograph that inspired it reflect a

meaningful tradition of remembrance, service and Marauder pride.

Keepsakes are free with a $25 gift to the Alumni Office, plus $4.95 shipping. Keepsakes are available now and may be reserved online at millersville.edu/ ornament , by visiting the Duncan Alumni House, or by calling the Office of Alumni Engagement at 717- 871-7551

SUMMER PROGRAMS

SPONSORED BY MILLERSVILLE UNIVERSITY

THERE’S A MISPERCEPTION THAT SUMMER IS A QUIET TIME ON THE MILLERSVILLE UNIVERSITY CAMPUS. THAT’S SIMPLY NOT TRUE. STUDENTS, FACULTY AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS ARE MOVING ABOUT AS THEY PARTICIPATE IN A NUMBER OF SUMMER PROGRAMS THAT EITHER BRING PEOPLE TO CAMPUS OR SEND THEM OFF TO OTHER LOCATIONS.

Alumni and Families

SUMMER FUN SERIES

OFFICE OF ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT

June and July from 6 to 7 p.m. (various dates)

DUNCAN ALUMNI HOUSE

millersville.edu/alumni/events/summer_fun

The Alumni Office is launching a Summer Fun Series of free, familyfriendly events. They will be held on Thursdays from June 11 through July 30, and each evening features a local nonprofit leading a short social or educational activity, followed by story time.

HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

38TH ANNUAL SUMMER SCIENCE TRAINING PROGRAM

SESSION 1: June 22 to June 26, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Grades 8-9)

SESSION 2: July 6 to July 10, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Grades 10-12)

CAPUTO HALL

millersville.edu/sstp

The College of Science and Technology hosts these programs for students entering 8th through 12th grade this fall with an interest in STEM. They will participate in exciting hands-on activities each day and get access to the fully equipped labs and classroom facilities guided by the science and technology faculty and staff at MU. Cost is $265 per person, and registration deadlines are June 18 for Session 1 and July 2 for Session 2 or when each session reaches 24 participants (whichever comes first).

BEYOND THE CONSOLE: LIVE AUDIO AND RECORDING WORKSHOPS

June 14 to June 20

WINTER VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

millersville.edu/swahss

Beyond the Console is an immersive, experiential workshop designed to give high school juniors, seniors and precollege students a real look at how modern music production comes to life on stage and in the studio. Students will choose one of two pathways –the Studio Recording Experience or the Live Audio and Lighting Experience – and spend the week learning how professionals build sounds, solve problems quickly and collaborate as a crew to make moments happen. Students will sleep in the dorms, eat on campus and enjoy a trip to Rock Lititz to learn about the live-event industry. The affordable $250 tuition is thanks to a grant from Play PA Live for the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. Learn more at playpalive.org.

For K-12 Educators

SUMMER INSTITUTES FOR EDUCATORS

June to July (various dates)

MILLERSVILLE UNIVERSITY

millersville.edu/gsal/institutes

In just one week, earn 90 hours of Act 48 credits and 3 graduate credits that could apply toward a master’s degree at Millersville University. In-person and virtual attendance options are available. Institute topics include teaching and learning with AI, sports betting and problem gambling, and micro-residency for art educators and more.

For Elementary & Middle School Students

ARTS SMARTS CAMPS

July 6 to July 10 and July 13 to July 17

WARE CENTER FOR THE ARTS artsmu.com/arts-smarts-camps

The Ware Center for the Arts presents ARTS SMARTS, its annual summer camps in music, dance, theater and visual arts for rising grades K-2 and 3-5. Join in for two weeks filled with arts education, friendship and fun.

TECHNOLOGY AND ENGINEERING CAMPS

June to July (various dates)

MILLERSVILLE UNIVERSITY millersvilletechcamps.com

Children in third grade to seventh grade will design, build, code, experiment and solve real challenges alongside college professors, local certified teachers and Technology Education students who know how to make learning engaging. With over 22 options to choose from – like the D&D tech adventure camp or the video game design camp – your kids will build real-world skills they can carry forward with them.

Athletic Camps

May to July (various dates)

MILLERSVILLE UNIVERSITY millersville.edu/summercamps

K-12 student-athletes are invited to check out MU’s full-day youth camps for baseball, basketball, soccer and field hockey, all hosted at MU’s state-of-the-art facilities and taught by college coaches.

Millersville Abroad Programs

Here are some of the opportunities available to Millersville students through Millersville Abroad Programs, which are scheduled throughout the summer. These programs, which can be taken for academic credit, are one or several weeks in length and are guided experiences led by Millersville University staff or faculty.

HONORS COLLEGE: THE VIKINGS

June 8 to June 22

ICELAND, NORWAY, DENMARK AND SWEDEN international.millersville.edu

Largely mischaracterized by history, the Vikings were innovative explorers who populated Norway, Denmark, Sweden and beyond. Students from the Honors College who participate will travel in the footsteps of these great explorers with excursions to these countries.

KENYA: MULTIDISCIPLINARY INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES

June 16 to July 1

KENYA international.millersville.edu

Social work majors who participate will enjoy an immersive, credit-bearing learning experience in Kenya combining academic instruction with experiential learning across urban and rural communities in central and eastern Kenya, and the Maasai Mara region in Narok County.

YES PROGRAM TO CHINA: ENGLISH AS A GLOBAL LANGUAGE

June 17 to June 30

CHINA international.millersville.edu

The Young Envoys Scholarship offers U.S. citizens the opportunity to travel to China with program expenses and visa fees covered. Students are only responsible for their round-trip flights to China and any incidental expenses. They will study English as a Global Language or music at Millersville’s partner campus, Jiangsu Second Normal University in Nanjing.

IL CINEMA RITROVATO: FILM FESTIVAL IN BOLOGNA

June 17 to July 22

ITALY AND GERMANY international.millersville.edu

Students from various majors will travel to the city of Bologna for Il Cinema Ritrovato (Cinema Rediscovered), the most important international film festival dedicated to the preservation and restoration of film in the world. The group will also visit Munich for the Filmfest München, the largest summer film festival in Germany.

MUSIC OF THE ANCIENT WORLD

June 21 to July 1

MOROCCO AND PORTUGAL international.millersville.edu

This 10-day adventure across two of the world’s most captivating destinations – Morocco and Portugal – combines music, culture and global discovery, offering students and participants the chance to broaden their artistic and cultural horizons.

MEN’S SOCCER ENGLAND PROGRAM

July 28 to August 9

ENGLAND international.millersville.edu

Members of the men’s soccer team will spend 10 days immersed in the soccer and general culture of England. They will train, compete and attend pro soccer games as well as visit significant sites.

Drew Folmar’s 26-Year Journey Leads Him Back Home

EVEN TODAY, THREE MONTHS AFTER ACCEPTING THE JOB, FIVE MONTHS SINCE FIRST REALIZING THAT THIS OPPORTUNITY WAS EVEN A POSSIBILITY, AND ON THE EVE OF HIS FIRST SPRING PRACTICE AS HEAD COACH OF HIS ALMA MATER, THE EMOTIONS ARE STILL RAW.

“Oh, man,” he says with a throat full of feeling, opening a desk drawer and grabbing a tissue to dab at watery eyes. There is no hiding it or holding it back. This place – Millersville – is where this walk-on turned hall-of-fame quarterback turned college coach always wanted to be.

The drabness of his office in Lehigh Hall is a telltale sign that he’s been far more consumed with recruiting, hiring a coaching staff, meeting with players, engaging alumni and building an offseason schedule than with interior design. A couple of painted Millersville footballs sit on a bookshelf, alongside a Marauder figurine hand-carved by the late Bob Lehr ’57. Folmar admits he’s not sure how it ended up in his office.

The walls are white and bare. The only picture, propped on the top level of his desk, is a framed 5x7 of his wife, Heather, and five children – the six individuals who serve as a daily motivation and the driving force behind his efforts as head coach of the Millersville University football program.

To be the spouse or child of a college football coach is to live a life that is everchanging and rarely consistent. Even as a successful coach with frequent promotion, Folmar worked for five different universities in five different towns and three different states in the previous 17 years. Livelihoods for coaches and their families change because of one injury, one turnover or one missed tackle. Folmar shouldered the pressure of providing for his family with every play call made on 11 autumn Saturdays each year. From play to play, game to game, season to season, coaches never know when home may no longer be home.

By Ethan Hulsey

That’s why the last five months have provided the Folmars every possible emotion: excitement, disappointment, optimism, anxiety, nostalgia, nervousness and joy. That’s why he understandably chokes up thinking about the roller-coaster ride that started with his departure from from Elon University in North Carolina after eight years with a brief detour through Bucknell and continues as he winds his way through the day-to-day head coaching tasks while living in Lancaster with his cousin. Heather and the kids are finishing the school year near Lewisburg and wrapping up sale on the house. Folmar has been too busy. He has had precious little time to process it all. But even as he climbed the ladder as a bright, young offensive mind into the Division I ranks, home was always Millersville University.

After graduating in 2000, Folmar spent

seven seasons as an assistant coach at Millersville before leaving to be the offensive coordinator at the University of New Haven, and then Kutztown University, where he helped Raymond Monica resurrect a program with record-setting offensive numbers. In 2014, he joined Lehigh University and sparked the offense to a Patriot League title two years later.

That success helped his star continue to rise, and he landed the offensive coordinator position at Elon. One year after packing up his family and moving to North Carolina, the Millersville head coach job opened. Folmar had just helped Elon to a six-win turnaround and a berth in the FCS Playoffs. Yes, he wanted to be a head coach. Yes, he’d love to be the head coach at Millersville. Yes, Millersville would love to have its legendary quarterback who became an offensive guru lead the program. But sometimes no one gets what they want.

“The last time around, it was not the right time or right place,” says Folmar. “I interviewed on Friday, April 20, and was offered the job on the 23rd. We just moved from Pennsylvania to North Carolina, and it cost us a good chunk of money. You are weighing all the factors. There’s no spring practice, no recruiting class, you are inheriting whoever is on the staff. Heather has always said, ‘We’ll figure it out.’ But that call was the hardest phone call I’ve ever made. I didn’t think I would ever say no to here.”

Wrong time, wrong place, but Folmar soon felt the pain of second-guessing and missed opportunities.

“I don’t have a lot of regrets in my life, and I don’t regret that decision because I believe it was the right decision at the time, but within two years, our kids were getting older, we were away from family and I was getting to a different point in my life, and I thought, ‘If that job ever opens, that’s where we are going.’”

Rarely does life afford second chances. On Oct. 6, 2025, the news broke that Millersville was looking for a new head football coach. Folmar heard it from Monica while

game-planning at Bucknell University for Lafayette. Bucknell started 4-1 against FCS competition, and star quarterback Ralph Rucker IV was rolling, having just completed 71% of his passes for 284 yards in a win over Richmond. But Rucker suffered an injury and missed nearly every snap of the remaining seven games, in which Bucknell went 1-6. This time, Folmar found himself on the coaching carousel at just the right time. Millersville opened its search at the conclusion of the 2025 season – the first winless season in 93 years. But with his reputation as a player and offensive coach, and his history of recruiting in Pennsylvania, Folmar was not without options. In fact, the day before his first interview at Millersville, he was offered a head coaching job.

“My two older brothers – the two people I lean on the most – and another coach who I respect very much; they all said, ‘Take the job,’” says Folmar. “But that’s not where I wanted to be. Heather said, ‘Don’t take it. If it doesn’t work out, we’ll figure it out. If you take it, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life. You said last time around that never again would you let it go if it came open.’ ‘But we have five kids,’ I said. Heather said, ‘Doesn’t matter, we’ll figure it out.’”

How do you turn down a job offer for a job that you haven’t yet interviewed for? Not easily, but Folmar couldn’t bear to let Millersville slip through his grasp a second time. It was worth the risk. The ensuing month of interviews – three to be exact –dragged painfully through the holidays.

“I would wake up some mornings, saying, ‘Everything is going to be good,’” says Folmar. “But the process took so long. These things wear you out. I’ve been a part of searches that took nine days, start to finish. I would go back and forth and say, ‘what if?’ It wasn’t just me. It was tough for Heather, but she was great. I knew there was anxiety there. It was a roller coaster of emotions.”

At 8 a.m. on Jan. 14, 60 days after the end of the season, Folmar was officially announced as the head coach of the program for which he set single-season records for passing yards, completions, touchdowns, passing attempts and total offense; the program for which he still owns career records for passing yards, completions and touchdowns; the program that he led to a 1998 PSAC East title and a 1999 NCAA playoff appearance; the program with which he earned four All-PSAC East honors.

When the news hit social media, Folmar’s phone erupted in a nonstop barrage of

texts, emails and DMs from alumni and friends. It was four hours before Folmar decided to put his phone aside.

“I kid you not. It was 12:30 when I decided to stop getting back to guys and get to work,” says Folmar. “When you played for Coach Carpenter, you knew the guys from the ’70s, even if you had never met them. Guys who I have never met face-to-face reached out

to me. I wanted to get back to everyone, but I had a list of 40 things to do. It was unbelievable the outpouring, and I’ll never be able to thank them enough.”

The buzz of excitement among the Marauder faithful generated more than 75,000 interactions on X and thousands of likes and engagements on Facebook and Instagram.

During February’s Marauders Day of Giving, the football program received 547% more gifts and raised more than $104,000 in 24 hours. Folmar has been swamped with hurriedly building a recruiting class, meeting with players, hiring staff and readying his team for spring ball, but the support has not gone unnoticed.

Now, after setting up his new running backs coach with the team’s social media accounts and before another staff meeting to discuss spring practice, Folmar allows himself a rare moment to reminisce about why Millersville is home and why getting this job meant so much.

Folmar arrived at Millersville in 1997 as an undersized, scrawny walk-on from Chambersburg High School. Both of his older brothers were star collegiate baseball players, but Folmar, whose father was a longtime high school coach, fell in love with the practice field, locker rooms and late-Friday night sessions with his dad, Don, grading the film while adjusting the tracking on the VCR.

At the prodding of his father, Folmar took four visits before his high school graduation: Indiana University of Pennsylvania, California University of Pennsylvania, Kutztown and Millersville. After back-toback mediocre seasons with Chambersburg University, Folmar just wanted a chance to be a part of a winning team. IUP, under Frank Cignetti, had won six of the previous seven PSAC West titles. When Folmar visited Millersville, the already legendary Dr. Gene Carpenter wasn’t even on campus. Offensive coordinator Brad Mangle taught in the Lancaster city school system during the day, so he wasn’t around either. Folmar met with receivers coach Kyle Hockman. Millersville signed three other freshmen quarterbacks in that recruiting class, so Folmar was hardly a priority. The offer was more or less “show up in August if you want.” The visit came and went with Folmar intent on walking on at IUP. But Folmar’s father reminded him that Millersville was winning plenty, too, and the elementary education program was top-notch.

“...every guy who came through here, it’s all ours. We all shaped it. We all had a part of laying the foundation,” says Folmar.

“I do believe this. It’s our program,” says Folmar. “I’m the head coach of the Millersville University football program, but every guy who came through here, it’s all ours. We all shaped it. We all had a part of laying the foundation.”

“I knew he wasn’t going to steer me in the wrong direction,” says Folmar.

Three years later, Folmar looked across the line of scrimmage at IUP defenders in the second round of the NCAA Playoffs, and 18 years later, accepted a job offer from Frank’s son, Curt, as the offensive coordinator at Elon. Folmar came to Millersville naïve with zero expectations. He hoped to graduate, become an elementary school teacher and eventually nudge his father out as the head coach for Chambersburg. On the drive to

campus, the family stopped in Carlisle for lunch, and he famously told his parents, “I just hope I can make the bus.”

“Look at me,” says Folmar. “I didn’t think I was going to get to play. We walked into Bard Hall, and Coach Mangle hands me a playbook that was so thick. If you knew my father, he had about five plays. Three runs and two play-action passes. I’m thinking, ‘What did I get myself into?’”

For years, the first team meeting of the season was held in the McComsey Hall auditorium. That’s when Folmar laid eyes on Carpenter for the first time. Carpenter wouldn’t even know Folmar’s name for at least another week.

“We didn’t have the internet then; you couldn’t look people up,” says Folmar. “I was carrying my bags in, and my dad says, ‘That’s the head coach right there.’ I shook his hand, and I’m sure Coach was thinking, ‘Whose little brother is this?’”

Folmar’s career started in anonymity, and his first days on the practice field were uneventful. After three long two-a-days of standing on the sidelines, Folmar heard a shout from the hill of the practice field above Biemesderfer Stadium.

It was Carpenter. “No. 11, get up here. Go tell Coach Mangle you want two plays.” Folmar ran down to the huddle where Mangle was leading a 7-on-7 session. “I’m supposed to tell you that I want two plays,” he reported.

“OK, what do you know?” asked Mangle.

Folmar scanned the massive playbook in his mind. He knew one. He took the field, took the snap, looked for his tight end and spiked the ball five yards in front of him.

Millersville Athletics Hall of Fame inductee himself, mentioned Ryan Swailes and John Vandevere in his preseason outlook, but there is no mention of Drew Folmar … or Andrew Folmar, as he is listed with 25 other freshmen in the “Marauder Recruits” section of the 1997 preseason media guide. But Mangle and Carpenter saw something in him.

“We are putting together a team that will compete this year,” says Folmar.

The next day, Folmar stepped into the huddle. The play call was Right Astro 0809 Check. When Folmar tried to share the string of code with his teammates, the words wouldn’t come out. “Right Astro … Right Astro.…” he stumbled. It was an inauspicious beginning. Millersville’s big question mark heading into the 1997 season was finding a replacement for Greg Moylan, who set 12 school records and threw 50 touchdown passes. Then sports information director Greg Wright, a

“I just knew I didn’t want to go back to the scout team,” says Folmar. “Coach Mangle gave me the script every day. I went back to the dorm, drew up every play and worked on my footwork while the guys were sleeping.”

That first season, Folmar completed 58.8% of his passes, threw for 2,152 yards and 19 touchdowns, winning the PSAC East Rookie of the Year award. It was those first four months as a Marauder that changed everything about Folmar’s future.

“I grew up in a football family, running around on the practice field,” says Folmar. “You naturally start to learn football. I

thought I knew a lot, and I learned a ton of football from my father. But I learned more football from August to November than I had learned in the 18 years prior. It was such a different level. I was used to doing half the practice on offense and half on defense. Now I am setting protections and throwing hot. It was enlightening. That’s when I started to realize that this is what I wanted to do, as well as be a college football coach. It was such a deeper dive. It’s still what I love.”

No one, not Folmar, and certainly not Carpenter, expected what would unfold. Not just over four years as the starting quarterback, but over the 26 years between his final snaps in Black and Gold and his introductory press conference as the program’s head football coach. During that press conference, Folmar thanked his coach.

“The main reason I’m here today … (Carpenter) modeled Marauder Pride and what it looked like on a daily basis,” said Folmar from behind the podium. Now Folmar looks to do what no other coach has been able to since Carpenter’s retirement in 2000: fill the College Football Hall of Famesized shoes of his mentor and build a new era of Marauder Pride. He knows that it may take some time. Fans tend to forget that it took Carpenter eight years to win his first PSAC East title. Folmar feels the pressure and weight of expectations, but he reminds himself that pressure is a great motivator.

The trip down memory lane to the late ’90s provided a respite from the grind, but Folmar quickly turns his attention back to the here and now. The start of spring practice is imminent: an all-important first chance to share team standards, install plays and build a culture.

“We are putting together a team that will compete this year,” says Folmar. “What the heck that will look like in terms of win totals, you don’t know. But we are building it to compete this fall and recruiting for what it will look like in two, three and four years.… We want to push each other, hold each other accountable and have some fun. You prepare 365 days a year for 11 opportunities to compete. When you look back, there are moments when you say, what am I doing? Is this worth it? But it was fun.”

When Folmar says he is home, he means it. That sentiment is heartfelt. It is real. The journey back to the ’Ville was only the first step. There’s still so far to go. But it’s at a place he loves, doing it for the six people in that 5x7 who have helped him every step of the way.

Men’s Basketball:

A Day Waters Comeback

A DIFFERENT DAY WATERS RETURNED TO MILLERSVILLE IN 2025-26 AND PRODUCED A SPECIAL SEASON.

Everything you needed to know about the importance of the 215th meeting between Millersville and West Chester could be understood by looking into the eyes of DAY WATERS – a fiery excitement tempered by a steely confidence forged through a characterbuilding collegiate journey.

A steal and coast-to-coast drive and finish through defenders. Defense to offense. A turn-around, fadeaway jumper off one foot to beat the shot clock. Swish. A transition three-pointer. Bang. A pull-up from 15 feet. Nothing but net. An off-the-dribble three. Then another. Then another. All good.

“It could potentially have been my last home game at Millersville,” says Waters. “I had a chip on my shoulder from the start of the game. We knew it was for first place (in the PSAC East). Before the game, I told everyone, ‘Look, we’ve got a big crowd. We gotta send the seniors out the right way. Let’s put on a show for them.’”

With laser precision, Waters carried the Marauders offensively for much of the game’s first 40 minutes. But his team needed him to deliver again in overtime. With the Marauders clinging to a onepoint lead and two starters fouled out of the game, Waters did what great scorers do – he got to his spot, despite West Chester doing everything to keep him from getting there. He received the ball off a down screen, weaved by one defender to the left elbow, and with two Golden Rams leaping to contest, splash.

Waters finished the most important game of the season with 25 points, seven rebounds and three steals. The performance forever ensured his 2025-26 team a place in the Pucillo Gymnasium rafters as PSAC East Champions. It all but clinched him the PSAC East Athlete of the Year Award – a feat accomplished by only five other Marauders – and he did it for a program that he had walked away from for what he perceived were greener pastures in 2024. But here he was in 2026, a more mature, thoughtful and conscientious person, and a player making history.

At the close of his 2024 season, Waters was a sophomore starter and fourth-leading scorer for a team that won the PSAC East and reached the NCAA Tournament with 24 wins. The siren song of Division I called, and Waters entered the transfer portal.

“I didn’t get a senior season in high school because of COVID,” says Waters. “I had a lot of offers my junior year from multiple Division I’s, but after COVID and the world shut down, a lot of high school players were left scavenging for where to go next. I went to prep school, which led me to Millersville. It was a blessing in disguise. You take the blessings that God gives you and make the most of it.” Waters admits that his focus on the right things was

lacking as a sophomore. His grades reflected that, and Division I schools shied away, discouraging him from transferring.

“Coaches told me that credits might not transfer, and I wouldn’t graduate on time, and that was something that was always important to me and my family,” says Waters. “I immediately thought about going back to Millersville, but I know the awkwardness of scenarios like that. I was grown and made a grown decision, so I had to live with that.”

Waters found a temporary home at Slippery Rock. Neither Waters nor Millersville were better off because of it. Waters lost his spot in the starting rotation midway through the season. His team went 15-14 and exited in the first round of the PSAC Tournament.

Millersville won 19 games and missed a spot in the PSAC Championship game with a two-point overtime loss to the eventual

SPORTS UPDATES

RANIELI Named PSAC East Freshman of the Year

Very few freshmen step into a new environment and thrive from day one, but for DANIELLA RANIELI , the transition from high school basketball to the college game was seamless. As one of 11 underclassmen on a team of 16 players, Ranieli was sure to see playing time; however, the impact she had was immeasurable in helping the team reach the PSAC Quarterfinals and upset No. 3-seeded East Stroudsburg at home in round one.

Most freshmen experience half or full seasons of growing pains as they adapt to the next level of sport. However, just three games into the season, Ranieli was leading the team in scoring, with 21 points against Frostburg State, and had carved out a solid role in the Marauders’ offense. With a heavily PSAC West-stacked schedule early, the Marauders often found themselves in dogfights against some of the nation’s top teams, but it was Ranieli who was making things happen. Then, the breakout performance happened.

In a 69-64 victory over Mansfield, Ranieli accounted for more than half of the

Marauders’ points with a career- high 35 points on 78.6% shooting and a perfect 7-for-7 from beyond the arc, along with five steals. Ranieli’s presence beyond the arc in that game carried all the way through to the final whistle of 2026 against Indiana University of Pennsylvania in the PSAC Quarterfinals. Springboarding off a historic performance, in the remaining 16 games, Ranieli went on to average 15.4 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 2.7 APG and 2.2 SPG.

As impressive as she was offensively for the Marauders, shooting 38.6% from the field and 36.9% from three while leading all PSAC freshmen in scoring, she also led

PSAC freshmen in steals, averaging 1.8 per game. Ranieli’s presence was not only felt on the stat sheet but also in the way teams, especially down the stretch, schemed defensively against her. Knowing that Ranieli was the primary ball handler and scoring option, PSAC opponents often sent two or three defenders at her to disrupt any offensive rhythm she was building. Against East Stroudsburg, her multidimensional game took over as she shifted roles, contributing 14 points and five assists, just one shy of her career high.

An impressive freshman campaign was capped off with Ranieli winning PSAC East Freshman of the Year, paired with an All-PSAC Second Team honor. She became the second freshman in program history to receive the award, following Sara Burcin in the 1998 season.

“The goal is to win as many games as possible and ultimately win a PSAC title,” says Ranieli. That’s a goal that she and her teammates were just three victories away from in the 2025-26 season and will look to reach going into a new year.

DeFulvio Reaches NCAA Wrestling Championships

RICHIE DEFULVIO became the eighth Marauder under head coach Jerry Boland to qualify for the NCAA Division II Championships, securing his spot with a second-place finish at the Super Region I Championships.

At the national tournament, DeFulvio won one match, and his sophomore campaign concluded with a 14-12 record, including three falls, two technical falls and one major decision.

“Competing at nationals was a defining experience,” says DeFulvio. “It forced me to raise my standard in every area: preparation, focus and execution. It showed me that the margin of error is extremely small at that level, and success comes down to discipline in the smallest details. I am very grateful to have had the opportunity.”

HESSLER Claims PSAC Championship

SARAH HESSLER became just the fifth Marauder since 2001 to claim a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Indoor Track and Field Championship title in the weight throw. She joins a distinguished group of alumni – Beth Lord (2001-02), Sunflower Greene (2017-18, 2018-19), Aliyah Striver (2019-20) and Hannah Woelfling (2021-22, 2022-23) – as first-place winners in the event. After finishing 12th during last year’s indoor season, Hessler delivered a remarkable turnaround, recording a personal-best throw of 59-0 to secure the title. Her mark not only earned her the conference championship but also moved her into third place on Millersville’s all-time top 10 list, trailing only Woelfling (59-9) and Greene (64-10½). The victory followed a challenging fall semester for the thrower.

“Winning the weight throw event is like no feeling I can describe,” says Hessler. “I have never felt so supported as I did after my last throw. I was so emotional after realizing it was my last throw ever in that event that I fell to the ground crying as my coach and entire team came to surround me. Millersville track and field has shown me what it’s like to be a family on a team, and I will be forever grateful to the best friends I have found here.”

WITMER Earns NCAA Silver Anniversary Award

At the January NCAA Convention in Washington, D.C., Millersville University women’s tennis alumna DR. LAUREN WITMER ’01 received the prestigious NCAA Silver Anniversary Award alongside Drew Brees (Purdue football), Tamika Catchings (Tennessee women’s basketball) and Nick Ackerman (Simpson men’s wrestling). Witmer, now the division chief and managing physician at Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health, earned the award for following her outstanding collegiate tennis career with exemplary achievements in her professional career. She is one of only five graduates of Division II institutions and joins Cheyney’s Ed Bradley (1989) as the only PSAC alumni to receive the award.

Marauders DAY OF GIVING Breaks Record

MARAU DERS

DAY OF GIVING

Millersville Athletics encouraged its supporters to give with pride on the 2026 Marauders Day of Giving, and that’s exactly what happened. A total of 1,680 donors showed their Marauder Pride and contributed $826,739.39, setting records in both number of donors and dollars raised.

Total dollars raised marked a 30% increase over the 2025 one-day fundraising initiative, and the total number of donors increased by 14% .

“The Marauders Day of Giving was a record-breaking day of philanthropy for the athletics department,” says Director of Athletics Kate Corcoran. “With the support received from our alumni, athletics donors and broader athletics community, we can support our programs through scholarships and enhance the student-athlete experience. Thanks to the work of Chelsey Wirth former director of athletic advancement] and our coaches, the inaugural Marauders Day of Giving was a huge success.”

The athletics department held five leaderboard challenges co-sponsored by the Millersville University Alumni Association and Northwestern Mutual, with the winning teams receiving an additional $1,000. On the women’s teams side, cross country and track and field led in the most pledge dollars and most dollars raised, with $80,011 – a 315% increase from the previous year. Cheer earned an extra $2,000 for wins in the gift increase and dollar increase challenges, and women’s lacrosse topped all teams for most gifts with 150.

Among men’s teams, football topped the lists for greatest increase in gifts and increase in dollars raised, totaling $104,490. The baseball team led in most gifts 285 and dollars raised $167,703.69, as it targeted improvements to its clubhouse. The golf program, led by the establishment of its first quasi-endowment by 1986 alum PETE RECKERT, won the challenge for most pledged dollars.

Totals | DAY OF GIVING

$826,739 $1K Winners MOST PLEDGED $

& Field

Golf MOST $ RAISED

& Field

Class Notes | 2026

1970s

u ROBERT “BOB” MILEY ’72, Warrington, has been the co-director of the William Tennent High School Veterans Day program for the past 15 years. Thanks to all who have served.

1980s

u GREGG “BOOG” WILLIAMS ’85, Secaucus, NJ, was honored with a signature cocktail named after him – The Boog – at The Twisted Tail in Philadelphia. The drink, featured in the book “Philadelphia Cocktails,” highlights blueberries that Williams handpicks and delivers to the restaurant.

u PAMELA (MEYER) SULLIVAN ’86, Egg Harbor Township, NJ, retired from the Federal Aviation Administration after a career supporting the nation’s air traffic control systems, including work on the Direct Access Radar Channel system and the En Route Automation Modernization program.

1990s

u JEFFREY CLOUSER ’91, Mount Joy, had his article “Radical Biblical Hospitality: An Intentional Focus on the Guest Experience” published in the Fall

2025/Winter 2026 issue of CrossAccent:

A Journal of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians. He serves as director of the Memorial Bells at Elizabethtown Church of the Brethren.

u DAVID LEUGERS ’91, Kirkwood, retired from the U.S. Postal Service in September 2025 after 25 years of service as a senior mail carrier. During his career, he safely delivered mail and packages along routes serving hundreds of homes and businesses each day.

u DR. JACKIE (SMOKER) WEAVER ’90, Lancaster, earned a Doctor of Nursing Practice from Frontier Nursing University. She serves as assistant professor of nursing at Lebanon Valley College and supervises nurse practitioner students as an adjunct faculty member at MU.

u AMILYNN E. ADAMS ’93, Brunswick, MD, senior marine transportation data analyst for the U.S. Coast Guard, serves as technical and policy co-lead for the Coast Guard’s geospatial response unit following the Francis Scott Key Bridge disaster response in Baltimore Harbor in March 2024.

u NICOLE (HATT) BEHN ’94, York, joined Doceo as executive vice president of sales for the Pennsylvania market, where she leads sales strategy and advisor development for the company’s print technology division.

u DR. JIM FREDERICKS ’95, Nokesville, VA, serves as senior vice president of public affairs for the National Pest Management Association and is a board-certified

entomologist who educates the public about pest management and environmental health.

u ERIKA SUZANNE SMITH ’95, Roaring Spring, was elected to the Spring Cove School District Board of Directors. She teaches English language arts in the Tussey Mountain School District.

u STEVEN RASH ’98, Doylestown, was appointed to the board of Foundations Community Partnership, a philanthropic foundation supporting behavioral health and human services in Bucks County. He serves as assistant vice president and community banking manager at Firstrust Bank.

2000s

u JESSICA BARAKET (HONTZ) ’00, Allentown, was appointed director of administration for Lehigh County. She previously served as deputy finance director for the city of Allentown.

u SCOTT CANTRELL ’01, Landisville, was featured in a collaborative exhibition at Red Raven Art Company with Lancaster County artist Dick Whitson this February. The show includes a jointly created oil painting titled “It’s All Greek,” which the two artists developed by passing the canvas back and forth over several weeks.

u LUCINDA HUGHES ’01, Mount Joy, selfpublished “Death Wish – Death Is a Funny Thing,” in Dec. 2025. The book features interviews with well-known comedians about how they cope with the loss of loved ones. Itis available through Amazon and at Jack’s Family Tavern in Millersville, the restaurant she owns with her husband, Chris.

u DR. FRANK RINKEVICH ’02, Baton Rouge, LA, was named acting research leader at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Honey Bee Breeding, Genetics and Physiology Laboratory. He serves as a research entomologist studying pesticide resistance in pests that threaten honey bee colonies.

u LETICIA VALENTINE ’02, Lititz, serves as a home school visitor for the School District of Lancaster, where she works with students and families to address attendance challenges and support student success.

u DAN MCCORD ’03, Reinholds, serves as a project coordinator and carpentry instructor at Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology, where he helps train the next generation of skilled trades professionals. Student housing projects he oversees have received multiple awards from the Lancaster/Lebanon Parade of Homes.

u LINDSAY (FISHER) BANDY ’06, Ephrata, received the Carolyn W. Field Honor from the Pennsylvania Library Association for her young adult novel “Inevitable Fate.” Bandy, who earned her bachelor’s degree in English and a minor history from Millersville, is the coordinator of the Teen SummerZine program for the Library System of Lancaster County.

u SETH LENNON ’06, Woodbridge, VA, serves as director of content development and media policy for the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association. Under his leadership, SMACNews, Member Update and SMACNA’s digital platforms have received three TRENDY Awards from Associations Now.

u STEPHEN DOLSKI ’07, Fairfax, VA, has been named CFO at Client Solution Architects, where he oversees financial strategy and key operational functions, including accounting, contracts, human resources, information technology and program control.

u NATHAN CAMPBELL ’08, ’10M, Manheim, was named the 2026 American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages National Language Teacher of the Year, the highest national honor in world language from the organization.

u DR. WILLIAM LOUIS “BILL” KIRSCH IV ’08, Hanover, earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Boston University in January 2026. His dissertation, “Student Attributions of Success in High School Band Programs,” explored how attribution theory shapes students’ understanding of achievement in music.

u MARILYN (HESS) ZENKO ’09, Lititz, was appointed principal at Terracon, a 100% employeeowned consulting engineering firm. She provides technical leadership in environmental planning and supports clients across federal, energy, digital infrastructure and transportation projects.

2010s

u ROBYN KLEIN ’12M, Highgate Center, VT, earned her LCSW and PMH-C credentials and updated her professional licensure.

u KATE KREIDER ’12, Northampton, MA, serves as a pediatric palliative care social worker with Baystate Health. She also serves as vice president of the board of Sparkle House, an organization working to establish the first pediatric respite and end-of-life home in Massachusetts.

u MICHAEL PARKER ’12, New Haven, CT, serves as assistant dean at Georgetown University and teaches in the Department of Biology. He earned a doctorate in immunobiology from Yale University and leads undergraduate research focused on science policy and federal regulations governing biological agents.

u JEAN CASIMIR ’14, Philadelphia, works with NBC Sports as a digital postproduction and video operations manager and helped produce coverage for the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. He previously contributed to NBC’s coverage of multiple Olympic Games, beginning with a college internship during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

u DR. ALEXANDER GOODRICH ’14, ’17M, earned his Ph.D. in history from North Carolina State University. His dissertation, “Heritage Tourism and the Politics of Public Memory in Bermuda,” explores how tourism shapes the interpretation of history and public memory, particularly in relation to Bermuda’s colonial past and the experiences of enslaved and African diaspora communities.

u EVELYN LECATO ’15, Harrisburg, joined the Community of Francis and Clare, a religious order within the Episcopal Church, and took vows as a friar in 2022.

u MAGGI (MUMMA) BARTON ’17, York, earned her Accreditation in Public Relations, a professional credential recognizing demonstrated expertise in strategic public relations, ethics, research, planning, implementation and measurement.

u DR. MICHAEL BURNS ’17, Coopersburg, earned his Ph.D. in water resources engineering from Villanova University in December 2025. He serves as

a civil engineer with the PA Department of Environmental Protection in the Bureau of Waterways Engineering and Wetlands.

u ADAM RINEER ’17, Astoria, NY, received a Jonathan Larson Grant from the American Theatre Wing, recognizing emerging composers, lyricists and librettists who are shaping the future of musical theater.

u ALLISON FERNANDES ’18, Warminster, earned her master’s degree in special education from Arcadia University in May 2025.

u EMMALI (MONTGOMERY) WERTZ ’18, Mountville, earned her M.S. in engineering from Arizona State University on Dec. 15, 2025. She was promoted to director of product development at The Social Institute. She also returned as an adjunct professor in MU’s computer science department.

u SAMANTHA WARY ’19M, Windsor, serves as assistant director of Campus Recreation at MU and is an active volunteer with NIRSA, the membership association for leaders in collegiate recreation. She contributes to the organization’s Analysis & Development and Standards of Competition Work Team.

2020s

u SCOTT REYNOLDS ’20, Nashua, NH, retired from the National Weather Service in April 2025 after nearly 37 years of service. He serves as a teaching lecturer at Plymouth State University, where he teaches meteorology and emergency management.

of bobsleigh, skeleton and luge events at the Sliding Centre in Italy.

u CARLY O’NEILL ’21, Glenmoore, serves as communications coordinator for PRINTING United Alliance, where she helps lead communications initiatives and programs for the global printing industry. She is a graduate of Millersville’s media arts production program.

u NICOLE STOLARSKI ’21, ’23M, Wallingford, was promoted to associate director of emergency management at Widener University, where she has worked since 2023.

u MADISON CHERUBIN ’23, State College, received the Graduate Student Teaching Award from Penn State University’s Department of Chemistry, recognizing graduate students who demonstrate exceptional commitment to teaching.

u BRIANNA PARTICELLI ’23, Philadelphia, is a mental health worker with Child Guidance Resource Centers, supporting children and teens with autism. She is also pursuing a graduate degree in clinical mental health counseling at PennWest University.

u MICHAEL MONTE ’21, Center Valley, worked as a freelance audio engineer for NBC Sports during the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, supporting coverage

u FAUSTO PREZIOSO ’23, was promoted to senior associate at SEK –CPAs & Advisors. He specializes in audit services for nonprofit and governmental clients and provides outsourced CFO support as part of the firm’s Outsourced Solutions team.

u EMMALEEN REGAN ’25, Owings Mills, MD, has been named assistant coach for the women’s lacrosse team at Stevenson University. Prior to joining Stevenson, she served as a graduate assistant coach at

MU while earning her master’s degree in emergency management.

CELEBRATIONS

1970s

u MIKE PANARELLA ’72, Medford, NJ, recently celebrated 50 years of marriage with his wife, Elizabeth, marking their golden anniversary. The couple commemorated the occasion surrounded by family and friends.

u SUSAN (HOUPT) GRAHAM ’75 and THOMAS H. GRAHAM, M.D., Malvern, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on Dec. 27, 2025.

u DEBORAH (TURNBACH) VAN HORN ’75 and ROBERT VAN HORN ’75, Winfield, celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on June 26, 2026. The couple met, got pinned and became engaged during their Millersville years.

2000s

2010s

u KATHERINE (GARRETT) PRICKETT ’05 and TYLER D. PRICKETT ’05, Ronks, celebrated 10 years of business at their family-owned property, Paradise Station, on Feb. 1, 2026.

u ALYSSA (GRELL) BERRIDGE ’15 and RANDY BERRIDGE ’14, Sarasota, FL, were married on Nov. 8, 2025, in Curaçao. The couple first met at Millersville when they were paired as lab partners in Biology 101 during their freshman year.

2020s

u SHANE KACSKOS ’16, San Diego, CA, married KELLY KOHLMAN on Sept. 1, 2025, in Nice, France. The couple celebrated their wedding overlooking the Mediterranean.

u NYOMI (GONZALEZ-EVANS) NONNEMAKER ’23, Harrisburg, married Jordan Nonnemaker on Nov. 9, 2024. She began a new role as a transportation planning specialist with Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

Deaths

1940s

u ELMIRA (ECKERT) BARD ’48, Lancaster, passed away on Feb. 27, 2026. While a student at MU, she was a member of the Page Literary Society, played field hockey, and served as co-captain of two undefeated teams that won state championships. She went on to teach in the Lancaster City School District.

1950s

u DOROTHY “PINKY” (MORGAN) NYE ’51, Shippensburg, passed away on Jan. 12, 2026. Nye earned her bachelor’s degree in library science from MU. She briefly worked as a librarian at the Scotland School for Veterans’ Children before raising her family, and later spent 50 years as a parts clerk for the family business, H&H Chevrolet Cadillac.

While a student at MU, he was a member of the Page Literary Society and earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial arts education. Following graduation, he served in the U.S. Naval Reserve and later built a career in education and industry.

u REUEL DEAN LEMON ’54, Herndon, passed away on Feb. 5, 2026. Lemon earned his degree in industrial arts from MU, where he played football and was active in the Literary Society. He began his teaching career in Fairfield before joining the Manheim Township School District. A U.S. Army veteran with the 82nd Airborne and a 32nd Degree Mason, he was also known for his craftsmanship and for operating a Christmas tree farm.

u MYRTLE A. (NACE) SATTERFIELD ’57, Hanover, passed away on Jan. 14, 2026. Satterfield earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from MU. She taught for 30 years in the New Oxford and South Western school districts, was honored as Teacher of the Year and was a lifelong member of St. Matthew Lutheran Church.

u ART UMSTEAD ’59, New Holland, passed away on Jan. 25, 2026. Umstead earned his teaching degree from MU and taught industrial arts in the Coatesville Area School District until his retirement in 1990. A U.S. Army veteran, he served from 1952 to 1954. A master carpenter and volunteer, he shared his craftsmanship with Good Works.

1960s

u EVAN L. REICHARD ’53, Berkeley Springs, WV, passed away on Oct. 31, 2025.

at Temple University. A U.S. Coast Guard veteran, he also taught history at Lancaster Catholic, Columbia and Manheim Central schools and was widely regarded as one of PA’s top high school girls’ basketball coaches.

u GAIL (BOLSTER) GLATFELTER ’61, Ephrata, passed away on Jan. 31, 2026. Glatfelter earned her bachelor’s degree in education from MU and taught at Akron Elementary and Highland Elementary until her retirement in 1990. She was an active member of Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church and enjoyed traveling, swimming and spending time with family.

u JOSEPH APONIK ’69, Cape May, NJ, died on Oct. 10, 2024. He was 77. He traveled the world and earned a master’s degree from Temple University. He retired after 30 years as an elementary school teacher in the Centennial School District.

1970s

u PAUL S. HESS ’70, Lititz, passed away on Jan. 24, 2026. Hess spent his career as a medical technologist in the Lancaster General Hospital lab, retiring in 2007. He served in Central America through voluntary service was a lifelong member of River Corner Mennonite Church and volunteered in his community.

u LAMAR J. KAUFFMAN ’60, Columbia, passed away on Jan. 4, 2026. Kauffman earned his undergraduate degree from MU, where he also played football, and later completed a master’s in education

u SHARYN EILEEN (TULLIS) MCNAIR ’70, Collegeville, passed away on Jan. 27, 2026. She played tennis at MU and was a member of Citamard. She spent her career in a medically affiliated profession and was a member of Royersford United Methodist Church.

u DARLENE L. SMITH ’70, Dallastown, passed away on Jan. 22, 2026. Smith earned both her bachelor’s degree in education and her master’s degree in English from MU. She taught from 1970 until her retirement in 2004. Active in her community, she participated in the York County Federation of Democratic Women, West York Democratic Club, the Millersville Alumni Girls and more.

u ROBERT G. STEVENS ’70, Media, passed away on Jan. 7, 2026. Stevens earned his bachelor’s degree from MU and began his career as a librarian at Upper Darby High School before founding Stevens Antiques, which he operated for more than 40 years. He traveled widely for his work and remained connected to his hometown, Media.

u GERALD “JERRY” ALAMPI ’71, Sarasota, FL, passed away on Jan. 29, 2026. While at Millersville, he was a member of the football team and is remembered by family and friends for his lifelong connections to the Marauder community.

u JOHN RICHARD WISE ’72, Lititz, passed away on Sept. 9, 2025. He earned his bachelor’s degree in elementary education from MU and completed additional studies at Penn State Middletown. He later became involved with the Greater Millersville Jaycees. Wise worked in banking and corporate training.

u JOHN C. SNYDER ’73, Hershey, passed away on Dec. 10, 2025. Snyder earned his bachelor’s degree from MU and later completed a master’s degree at the

University of Minnesota. He taught German, world cultures and European history for 33 years at Hershey Senior High. An Eagle Scout and lifelong rail enthusiast, he was active with the Friends of the East Broad Top Railroad and model railroading groups.

u DEAN M. SHEARER ’78, Hanover, passed away on Jan. 2, 2026. Shearer earned his bachelor’s degree from MU. He worked as a case worker at the Changing Lives Homeless Shelter and later as a mortgage loan originator. He enjoyed time at the beach, hosting pool gatherings and advocating for greater awareness of kidney donation.

1980s

u WILLIAM R. ADAMS ’89, East Petersburg, passed away on Feb. 4, 2026. Adams earned a Master of Arts in psychology from MU, where he was active in the Psychology Club and a member of the Wickers fraternity. He enjoyed fishing, watching NASCAR, and driving his Dodge Charger.

1990s

u CAROLYN MARIE GIERASCH ’91, York, passed away on Jan. 8, 2026. Gierasch earned a master’s degree in early childhood education from MU and spent 26 years teaching in the York Suburban School District, where she was known as a gifted and compassionate educator.

u TIMOTHY SCOTT BUTLER ’94, Harrisburg, passed away on Jan. 23, 2026. A graduate of Trinity High School and MU, Butler enjoyed spending time with

friends and listening to his favorite CDs. 2020s

u ROSALINE MATTABONI ’25, Millersville, passed away on Dec. 28, 2025. Mattaboni graduated from MU with a bachelor’s degree in computer science. She was known for her kindness, vibrant personality and ability to make others feel welcome. Her interests included technology, Pokémon, music, beaded jewelry and cooking.

FACULTY & STAFF

u DAWN M. AYRES, Millersville, passed away on Feb. 17, 2026. Ayres served as a police officer with Millersville Borough before continuing her career at MU as a police officer. She enjoyed beach vacations, camping, spending time outdoors and crafting, and was known for her generous heart and willingness to help anyone in need.

u JULIA H. BOWERSBODY, Brecknock Township, passed away on Nov. 23, 2025. Bowers-Body’s career at MU included teaching swimming, archery, canoeing and synchronized swimming. A nationally recognized archer, she helped develop the National Archery Association’s instructor curriculum, taught courses across the U.S. and abroad, and contributed to multiple Olympic Games in volunteer roles.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

Where it all began: Millersville Story of Love, Learning and Lifelong Impact

By Mary Dolheimer

JASON WICHT ’98 SERVES AS EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF GROWTH STRATEGY AND OPERATIONS FOR COMCAST, WHERE HE OVERSEES NATIONAL CUSTOMER ACQUISITION, CUSTOMER LIFECYCLE MANAGEMENT AND MEMBERSHIP STRATEGIES, DIGITAL EXPERIENCES AND PLATFORMS, AS WELL AS CUSTOMER GROWTH PERFORMANCE AND COMPETITIVE ANALYTICS. HE DELIVERED THE MAY 9 COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS FOR THE COLLEGE OF ARTS, HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES AND THE LOMBARDO COLLEGE OF BUSINESS.

Will you tell us about your experience at Millersville? What do you think about when you reflect on that time?

When I reflect on my time at Millersville, what I remember most are the people and experiences that helped to shape many of the future aspects of my life. I had the unbelievably good fortune of meeting and getting to know my future wife in our time at school together, along with working with friends on great programs like MUTV, WIXQ and the University music programs. Millersville provided both my wife and me with an incredible opportunity to learn from and work closely with the amazing faculty in a small-group setting, allowing us to build hands-on experience.

How did your MU degree/major/experience help you find a career?

My now 30-year career actually began as an intern directly from Millersville’s communication program. My advisor, Dr. Gerard Igyor, flagged the opportunity for me the summer before my senior year. This internship – at Suburban Cable, which was then acquired by Comcast – began my career and was an experience where I was able to apply much of the learning from my time at Millersville. This included internal and external communications development, sales strategy and financial analytics, which I developed as part of my business coursework.

You met your wife here, and your daughter is a senior. With that in mind, what’s so special about MU?

Similar to what you likely hear from many current and former students, Millersville has an incredibly special atmosphere – with the balance of a local community/family-like setting,

offset by a wide range of experiences and developmental opportunities that you don’t find at every university. It is this balance that creates a feeling that you can try new opportunities and find ways to lead and grow in new areas, all while being supported by the local faculty and University team members.

What’s

the key to succeeding as an MU student?

Like any place, there is no one individual thing that drives success at Millersville, or any university. However, in my experience, it is always working at doing the basic things really well (there is no substitute for doing the work) – and then not being afraid to lead or engage in new areas. No one really has a handle on what they are doing at first, so it is all about just getting started and allowing things to come in time. The environment at Millersville is really conducive to letting that learning happen.

Favorite courses, professors? Activities as a student?

My wife and I had the unique opportunity to be at Millersville at a time when new communications opportunities were beginning to expand and technology was developing to make participation easier and more immersive. We both were active members of MUTV, WIXQ and the National Broadcast Society on campus. I also took part in several of the music programs (chorus, jazz band), and my wife was an RA, orientation leader and worked with the yearbook committee. As a part of these programs, we had the chance to work closely with several professors that were influential to our journey at the University – including Dr. Igyor, Dr. Bill Dorman, Dr. Greg Seigworth and Dr. John Osborne, just to name a few.

When was the moment you decided to support your alma mater? And what led to that decision?

My wife and I both grew up in Central Pennsylvania but had moved out of the area back in 2011 and spent nearly 10 years in Atlanta. A few years ago, we had the opportunity to move back to be close to family. At that time, we were looking for opportunities to work more closely with impactful organizations within our area – and given all that Millersville has meant to our family over the years, it was a natural decision to get more involved. Beyond myself, my wife and my oldest daughter, we also have several other friends and family members who have attended over the years with similarly positive experiences, and it seemed like a great way to help and support that for new generations to come.

Office of Alumni Engagement

Millersville University

P.O. Box 1002

Millersville, PA 17551-0302

By insisting on FSC-certified paper, Millersville University helps to expand the protection of water quality, prohibit harvest of rare old-growth forest and prevent the loss of natural forest cover.

LEADING WITH CONFIDENCE

THE ART OF MANAGEMENT

ONLINE, NONCREDIT MANAGEMENT TRAINING

The Art of Management is a self-paced, online course for new managers or those who want to refresh and refine their skills. The course is structured around four concepts: Attention, Expertise, Facilitation, and Authority.

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• Rolling Registration

• 20 Instructional Hours

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• Personalized Assessment